The Elemental Alchemist
by Dark Night Rain
Summary: Amaya's hazy memories haunt her as she accompanies Edward and Alphonse on their quest to regain their bodies. How can she perform such strange alchemy? Why are her nightmares so real... and coming true! Does she have a connection with the homunculi! OC, taking the place of Winry, is an alchemist with a different backstory and personality. Ed/OC eventually (see chap 9).
1. Amaya

_"It's too bad, really," the immortal's voice mocked, feigning disappointment. "After resisting for all this time, to succumb to me at such a crucial moment…"_

_Each cruel word stabbed into his chest, more painful than the physical wounds he'd accumulated. His wide, golden eyes stared in horror as a slender figure emerged from the shadows._

_This couldn't be happening. If his mind and body hadn't been so frozen with shock, he would've been yelling, demanding to know what the hell was going on. But as the light footsteps steadily approached, and his attacker came into full view, he hardly even remembered how to breathe._

_"But there was never any hope, you know. After all, how could someone escape themself?"_

* * *

It all seemed so simple back home in the countryside... ok, that's a lie, but somehow the universe managed to complicate my life even more once I left. I began my journey with a pretty defined goal. I was no longer naïve or innocent, but I was quite ignorant still. I never could have guessed that my world would be turned upside down _again_, threatening the people that I loved and cared about, and even the entire country. I also couldn't have guessed that my "simple" goal would unravel everything. Actually, I take it back. I was very naïve.

* * *

"Bye, Granny!" the blonde called with a wave as she walked backwards down the dirt path. "I'll miss you!"

"Be careful, dear! I'll miss you too!" her petite grandmother called back.

Despite feeling sad about leaving home, she swung her suitcase around with excitement. _"I haven't been away from home since I went to central with Ed and Al for Ed's State Alchemist exam," _she thought to herself. _"I haven't even seen Ed or Al since then either." _This thought added to her enthusiasm, her long hair swaying from side to side as she briskly made her way towards the train station.

* * *

She sat on the train, as usual deep in thought. _"Not a single letter after all this time. Idiots... I hope they're not getting into any serious trouble, but I know better than to wish for something impossible. It's a good thing I've been improving my combat alchemy."_ She would never admit to those two how hard she'd studied and trained while they were gone. After pouring through every book she could find, trying to improve her alchemic skills, she had finally decided to seek a teacher. And not just any teacher – she went to the teacher that her childhood friends had learned so much from. A shiver ran up and down her spine as the memory of the first day she met Izumi-sensei surfaced, but she quickly banished it from her mind.

_"I wonder if that means they've gotten some clues about their bodies or the stone." _Her thoughts drifted to a much darker place. Back to a room where no light reached, where the stench of blood was suffocating. She wasn't just going to Central to research alchemy and track down those two knuckleheads. There were too many unanswered questions swirling in her head about that night. And someone was counting on her. A life was at stake.

The train slowed to a stop as it arrived at the station. It wasn't central yet, but some of the other passengers were bustling off. She didn't mind the wait, and enjoyed looking around at the unfamiliar place. She had been out in the countryside for too long. All of the bustling people in the station, the automated machines, the –

BOOM!

A sudden explosion from the neighboring platform. She shot up, grabbing her bag, and raced out of the train to see what had happened and if anyone was hurt, preparing for the worst. She followed the smoke until she gasped as a burned body came into view. _"He's still alive!"_ she thought as she ran towards it at full speed, only to come screeching to a halt.

"No way…" she said to herself, staring. Dressed in the familiar blue uniform of the Amestrian military, a tall man with ebony hair and eyes stood over his smoking victim. Next to him, of course, was his slender blonde companion, fashioning two hand-guns. The last time she'd seen them had been when they came to recruit alchemists in Risembool, only to find several gifted children. She smiled.

Apparently her rushing up had been more noticeable than she'd realized, because Hawkeye was staring at her with a small smile of her own. "Long time no see," the Lieutenant greeted.

"Eh, who are you -" Ed's head peered out from the other side of a pillar with a curious expression that quickly turned to shock, mirroring hers.

After a comical moment of staring, she laughed and rushed at him and Al, who had come into view as well. After practically tackling Ed in a hug (which wasn't so hard to do since she was taller than him), she glomped onto Al, unable to fully hug his giant metallic body.

"M-Maya?! W-why are you here?" asked Al. Ed seemed to be surprised and perhaps smothered. But Amaya saw the hint of a blush… which for some reason sparked her own, though she quickly shook it off.

"Why do you think? I thought it was time I paid you two a visit after all this time! And just how difficult is it to write a letter?" she scolded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's a good thing the Colonel caused an explosion or else I might have waited in Central forever before finally tracking the two of you down."

"So you're not here to take the State Alchemist Exam then?" Mustang asked in his usual tone, with his usual smile that always seemed to mock her.

"Nope, sorry. But if it's ok I'll be tagging along with Ed this time." She replied cheerfully, hiding her annoyance.

"Eh?" Ed began to protest.

"Besides, I know I'm skilled enough to pass the exam now if I were to take it, so why bother." Internally she scolded herself. She really was confident in her skills, but she had only added this part for the Colonel's benefit and hated how arrogant it sounded.

"Oh, so you think so little of the title State Alchemist?" retorted Mustang.

"I invite you to test my skills, Colonel. I assure you that I won't disappoint you." She grinned evilly at Ed's superior. Without another word, she slowly raised her foot and stamped it on the ground. The sparks of a transmutation lit up the pavement, distorting its shape as different components pooled in place and rose up from the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Havoc staring in shock as she bent down to pick up the shiny new katana sword she had created.

"Ha, you think a little sword will be a match for my flame?" Mustang challenged, narrowing his eyes as he raised a gloved hand. Amaya in turn pointed her sword towards the Colonel with a defiant grin.

"Colonel, Sir, I don't think that this is the best place!" cautioned Hawkeye, an edge in her voice. Colonel Mustang lowered his hand, which he had been about to snap, and looked back at her with an annoyed expression.

"Fine. I suppose you're right…" He glanced deviously at Maya. "Don't think I'll let you off the hook. We'll continue this later."

"I look forward to it." she answered, grinning. "Sorry if I end up beating your superior, Ed." She added with a giggle. Both Ed and Mustang glared at her with a strikingly similar expression. "I'm kidding!… maybe…" her laugh echoed through the train station.

* * *

"Hey Maya," Al began, "when did you learn such cool alchemy? Before you always refused to learn about combat-type transmutations... plus, how did you do that back there? I didn't see you draw a circle..." Al asked curiously as they walked out of the station.

"Oh, the sword?" Maya grinned and, mid-stride, slipped her right shoe off to show him. "On the bottom I inked on a transmutation circle that allows me to manipulate the earth beneath my feet. Now if only it didn't rub off so easily…" Walking with only one shoe on felt weird, so with a few hops she returned her shoe to it's proper place on her foot.

"So what have the two of you been up to?" she asked as they continued on their way to Colonel Mustang's office. The two boys told her about a city called Liore and a coalmine in Youswell. Oh, and not to mention the adventure they'd just had on their train. "You've sure been busy," she laughed. This reminded her of her own work. "Oh, and Ed, I have a surprise for you later!"

"Eh? Nani?" He asked, his eyebrows raised and expression curious. He soon donned a sly grin. "You have new automail for me, don't you?"

"Hah, you bet I do. But you'll have to earn it! No more trying to get yourself or Al killed!" "Bu—" "No buts!" she rolled her eyes smiling. "Oh well, I guess I expected all this. Why do you think I want to tag along?" she sighed.

"Hey, we never actually agreed to that." Ed protested. Amaya shot him a glare and stamped her foot loudly, making him jump back anticipating a transmutation. She laughed and then stuck her tongue out at him, secretly pleased that she now had the threat of alchemy on her side. She felt more... persuasive this way. Like she was the tiniest bit closer to catching up to the two of them.

"And who said I needed your permission? I want to help you get your bodies back to normal too you know…" she trailed off quietly. _"All of our bodies back to normal…"_

* * *

_**Hi everyone! Thank you for reading. This is my first fic, so please excuse how boring it is for the first few chapters as I build up the plot/characters. I PROMISE that it will get better and more interesting very soon. The very first part above is a "flash-forward", just to be clear. Thank you all so much for reading! And if you have any criticism or suggestions please don't hesitate to tell me. :)**_


	2. The Sewing Life Alchemist Part 1

"A talking chimera?!" an astonished Maya repeated to Colonel Mustang.

"You mean it can talk like humans do? A chimera?" added Ed.

"That seems to be the case," answered Mustang. "I wasn't in charge at that time, so I didn't actually see it. I heard it understood what people said and could speak. However, it only said one thing… 'I want to die.' Afterwards it wouldn't eat anything and died." The room was silent, three young alchemists staring at the Colonel. "Oh well. Anyway, let's see what sort of person he is."

* * *

They headed to the house of a state alchemist named Shou Tucker. He was famous for his research in the field of bioalchemy, which was why Ed, Al, and Maya were hoping he might be able to help them.

Upon arriving at a huge house, Mustang went to knock on the door. The three teens trailed behind slightly, taking in the impressive property. Suddenly, Maya heard the thumping of what sounded like large paws approaching. "WOOF!" A huge white dog appeared, mid-jump, heading straight for Ed and landing on top of him. Before anyone knew it, he had been pinned down, squashed by the canine's superior weight.

"Aaaw! How cute are you!" Maya squealed, petting the dog behind its ear. Ed mumbled something less than friendly into the dirt. "Oh, fine, you too!" she giggled, playfully tussling Ed's hair as well, which, as expected, provoked a rather violent reaction.

"Hey! Alexander, stop that!" A man shouted as he opened the front door.

"Wow, lots of guests Daddy!" A cute little girl walked out in front of him. A small smile crept onto Maya's face as she saw the resemblance.

"Nina, the dog's supposed to be tied up…"

* * *

As they sat around Mr. Tucker's dining room table, something about him made Maya increasingly uncomfortable. Was he repeatedly glancing at her when he thought she wasn't looking..? _"It must be my imagination…"_ she convinced herself.

Ed took off his jacket to show Tucker his automail arm as part of the agreed equivalent exchange of information. He proceeded to recount how he and Al had tried to transmute their mother, who Maya had known as Auntie Trisha. She waited in silence, caught up in their memories. It was all still so vivid. The clank of armor as Alphonse rushed up her steps. The blood flowing from where Ed's arm and leg had been. The tears, the screams… and then the darkness. She shuddered, trying to banish the memories from her mind, but instead becoming engulfed in thoughts of what had happened next on that horrible night.

_"Maya… there's nothing more we can do right now. We should all try and get some rest." Granny's calm words did little to put Maya's mind at ease. She was only eleven. After losing her mother in Ishval, and then Aunty Trisha, she was terrified that she might lose Ed now as well. Not to mention Al, who she discovered could no longer eat or drink after being trapped in a hollow set of armor. But she tried to listen to her grandmother's pleading. _

_"Granny…" she said softly as she lay down in her bed, careful not to wake the six-year-old curled up next to her. __She hesitated, staring up at her grandmother with worried eyes, anticipating her reaction._ "Granny… should we ask him_ to try and help Ed." _

_"Amaya Rockbell, that man is not to set foot in this house, do you understand?! He is NOT welcome here." Maya flinched. Granny was only ever this angry when discussing _him_._

_"B-but what if his alchemy can help Ed heal faster?! H-he's only ten minutes down the street, and I cou-"_

_"Amaya," Pinako interrupted in a firm voice, "that man is no longer a part of our lives. He has caused us nothing but pain and suffering. I may not know as much about alchemy as you do, but the kind that he uses isn't one that helps people. This discussion ends now. Please, try to get some rest." And with that she walked out of the room, turning the lights off and shutting the door._

_Maya heard a wimper from next to her. "Nee-chan, what's happening..?"_

_"Go back to sleep, Ash. I'll explain it all in the morning."_

_When Maya heard the steady sound of breathing resume next to her, she sat up, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She was lost in her thoughts, desperately seeking a solution to the problem in her head. No one in her family had seen him since her mother had been killed over a year ago, despite the fact that he lived close by. But Maya remembered him… and his alchemy. There was no question that his skills were formidable. She'd seen them, and had even been taught a few of them. And it just so happened that he was a researcher who explored alchemic ways to treat illness and wounds. Or at least he had been… Either way, she believed he could help Ed, and maybe even Al. That was all there was to it._

_Sliding off the bed, she quietly made her way over to the window. Without hesitation, she unlatched it and swiftly slipped out into the darkness of the storm._

"So, why are _you_ here then?" Tucker's voice jolted Maya back into the present. He had at first been caught up in Ed and Al's story, but then turned his attention to the teenage girl whose body was in tact. "What information will you give me as payment for access to my research?" Maya flinched internally, preparing the explanation she'd been crafting for this kind of situation. Ed hardly knew anything about what had happened. She hadn't wanted to cause him any more pain during that time. And Al knew too much as it was, and didn't need the burden of more information. Besides, she honestly didn't remember much anyway. That was one of the things that bothered her the most...

Everyone in the room stared at her intently, waiting for her to speak. Even the Colonel appeared mildly curious of what she would say… and he already knew more than the others, due to certain circumstances.

"I guess I have my own story too…" she said quietly. "but most of it revolves around me not remembering anything…." she added with a nervous laugh. "For now, I'm trying to further my medical alchemy, aside from keeping these two out of trouble." She continued, straining to keep her tone light, faking a small smile in an attempt to break the tension.

"Tch, that's the excuse you use?!" Ed whined. Maya replied by sticking her tongue out, displaying the immaturity she reserved only for him and Mustang.

"Hmm, but that doesn't quite seem like enough compensation for you…" Tucker commented, lacing his fingers together on the table in front of him.

"Would you like a demonstration?" Maya asked quickly, desperately trying to steer away from divulging any more information about her past. _"I don't even know myself, how can I possibly explain it to him?" _panicked thoughts raced through her mind.

"Now that would be interesting!" _"Yes! He's taken the bait!"_

"Well, I've been working on developing a new type of alchemy. First of all, I've already experimented with combining alchemy and automail engineering, and developed my own techniques, as you may have noticed with Ed's arm. But with all the injuries these two accumulate, good automail can only help so much. Though it's still in its preliminary stages, I'm working on alchemy to close up wounds. So far I've been able to stop bleeding and speed up the recovery of superficial cuts. But I still have a long way to go…"

"So you've actually found a way to manipulate living cells of the human body? Or are you transmuting some substance as a temporary bandage to sew up the healing wounds?" Tucker asked with genuine enthusiasm. Maya glanced at the others, surprised to see that even Ed's golden eyes were fixed on her intently.

"Due to the health consequences of directly manipulating cells to reproduce rapidly and heal, I've not practiced this method on living creatures other than just using outer skin cells. I have, however, found a method of taking raw material from deceased cells and using it to fuel the healing process of the remaining cells, effectively closing minor wounds." She paused. "Well… to be exact, I've only attempted that on a few animals and… myself. With the animals, however, I had to use outside components in order to be successful…" she explained with a frown, obviously puzzled and dissatisfied with her results. "But, here, I'll show you." She stood up. "If you don't mind of course." Tucker nodded in approval. After feeling around in her pockets, Maya's hand emerged holding a little screw with a sharp end that, as usual, she'd forgotten to remove after working in the shop. In a steady motion, she grasped the screw and swiftly brought the jagged end down across her left forearm.

She was so used to practicing this that she hardly winced, but there were audible gasps from others in the room as a crimson stream trickled down her arm. "No worries!" she said brightly. "It doesn't even really hurt! Anyway, watch." She dipped her pointer finger into a drop of her blood, and used it to sketch a small transmutation circle around her wound. When she was finished, she took a deep breath and then placed her hand over the cut. As the sparks of a tiny transmutation lit up, Maya couldn't help but wince as sharp stinging ensued. _"That's another thing I need to work on," _she thought to herself._ "Finding a way to make the healing not hurt more than the wound itself."_

"Can I borrow a towel or something, please?" she asked once the sparks had stopped. Tucker passed her a napkin from the table. After gingerly wiping the blood off where the cut had been, she displayed her arm out proudly. Perfectly smooth skin, not even a scar._ "And I also wish I could replicate results this good in the animals I treat… though it worked to a point, they not only required extra raw materials to heal, but also still had scar tissue in the end… and the light of the transmutation was always blue or even greenish, while whenever I perform it on myself it's red… I wonder if humans are different somehow?"_

"Cool!" "Maya, that's amazing!" the compliments overshadowed Maya's musings and a blush replaced her puzzled expression.

* * *

Ed, Al and Maya were led to Tucker's file room, which proved to be just as amazing. They quickly divided up the numerous shelves and dug in, soon becoming lost in thought, practically oblivious to everything but the books they were reading.

"They're incredibly focused, aren't they? I bet they can't hear anyone around them anymore," commented Tucker.

_"Well, he's mostly correct," _Maya thought_. "But I'm a multitasker! Plus, it's hard to ignore someone talking in a library..." _she added.

"Yes… It's remarkable for the boy to even become a national alchemist at that age. He's quite impressive. His brother is quite gifted as well, as you must have gathered from their… story. And Maya." He paused. "Well, between you and me," he continued in a slightly softer voice, "I'd say she should have taken the state alchemist exam with Ed, but she refused. While she had no combat skills at the time, she had already begun her research and could perform advanced transmutations." Maya blushed into her book. _"What is this crap he's spouting all of the sudden?! And why does he think I can't hear him?"_ she complained in her head, then glanced at Ed and Al, who both actually seemed unaware of the embarrassing conversation was transpiring. _"Fine! My question then is why the hell do I have to be blessed with insanely good hearing?!"_

"So you found some, eh?" said Tucker, also occupied by his own thoughts. "Geniuses..."


	3. The Sewing Life Alchemist Part 2

Maya's laugh rang through the library. As she had turned the corner, she'd found Alexander once again using Ed as his pillow.

"Don't go 'hi brother' on me!" Ed was shouting at Al from beneath the furry dog. "What were you doing if you weren't looking for any files?"

"Um, Nina looked like she wanted to play," the younger brother replied hesitantly.

"Don't be so easy-going!" shouted Ed, clearly pissed.

"Oh come on, Ed. Have a heart!" Maya giggled and patted Alexander on the head as he practically licked Ed's face off.

"Alexander says he wants to play with mister, too!" said Nina happily.

"Oh, you sure got some guts to want to play with me…" said Ed menacingly to Alexander. "They say that lions use up all their energy when hunting rabbits. I, EDWARD ELRIC, AM GOING AFTER YOU WITH EVERYTHING I GOT, YOU DAMN MUTT!" And with that, he tore out of the room after the dog. Nina was laughing from her perch on top of Al's shoulders, and Maya still couldn't stop.

"So mature…" she commented, mid-giggle, knowing Al was thinking the same thing. He often seemed to be the more mature of the two brothers.

* * *

"Are you coming to see me again? And Mister-Edward too?" Nina asked Al and Maya excitedly. Ed was stumbling off with Havoc after being rescued from Alexander.

"Yes, let's play again tomorrow." Al said.

"Make sure to tell Alexander for us, okay?" Maya added enthusiastically.

"Okay, onee-chan!" she replied while beaming a smile.

Maya froze, unable to speak… '_Big sister'…_

"Oh yeah, Mr. Tucker, I've got a message from the Colonel." Havoc said on his way out. "Evaluation Day is coming up. Don't forget.'"

"…Yes, I understand." replied Tucker somberly.

* * *

The next day they hit the books again, but this time Ed was the one who decided to take a break. It seemed he couldn't resist Nina's lonely face after all. "Hey mutt! I need exercise, so I'll play with you!" He said, pointing at Alexander.

Maya grinned. "A rematch?"

"Come on, Nina too," said Al.

"Yeah, you won't wanna miss this!" added Maya. She laughed more that day than she had in a long, long time.

* * *

An eerie storm was brewing the next morning. "It's gonna be raining today." commented Ed as they got to Tucker's house and Al rang the bell. No one answered, so they wandered in, calling to see if anyone was there.

"Mr. Tucker? Nina?" After searching the dark house, they finally found Tucker in one of his experiment rooms.

"So there _is_ somebody here." said Ed.

"Oh, it's you guys. Take a look at the finished product!" Tucker said smiling. From out of the shadows it stepped. Ed and Maya's eyes widened, and Al froze with astonishment. "This is a chimera that can learn language." Tucker announced proudly. "Watch this. Ready? This person is Edward."

"Edward?" The creature repeated in a strange voice, tilting its head to one side.

"That's right. Good job." said Tucker, patting it on the head.

"Good job?" it repeated back to him.

"I can't believe it. It really is talking." Ed said, staring at the chimera with amazement.

"Phew. I'm glad I made it in time for the evaluation." commented Tucker, giving a sigh of relief.

Maya approached the chimera and knelt down so that she was eye-to-eye with it. Looking into its face, she thought she saw something familiar... something off… _"Maybe it's the color of the fur…? White and then brown on the head. What a peculiar combination…"_

"You remind me of something… I can't put my finger on it…" she said to it quietly. There was an annoying thought that she just couldn't grasp. A resemblance that eluded her.

Tucker continued, "I saved my neck. I don't have to worry about my research funds again for the time being." Ed bent down beside Maya, also looking at the Chimera curiously.

"Edward. Edward. Edward." it repeated. Then it looked back to the girl. "…Onee-chan? …Misteh-Edward?" Maya felt the blood drain from her face, eyes wide with horror. She couldn't even breathe. Next to her, Ed had gone rigid as well, not moving a muscle. _No…_

"Mr. Tucker," said Ed in a monotone voice, without turning his head. "When was your research on talking chimeras approved and when did you get your license?"

"That was two years ago, I believe." replied Tucker.

"When did your wife leave?" asked Ed in the same voice. _"No… No, it can't be!"_ Maya screamed at herself. She hadn't even thought about what had happened to Tucker's wife, but right now the bitter reality lay before her as Edward fit all the pieces together.

"Two years ago." Tucker replied after a short pause.

"One more question, ok?" continued Ed, his voice getting sharper and louder. Maya gently touched the chimera under its mouth, as if it were a dog, bracing herself for the next question. She knew what it was… and she knew the answer.

"Where did Nina and Alexander go?!" Ed nearly shouted. Al gasped, beginning to understand his brother's implication. Maya stood up slowly and deliberately, her fists clenching together, her eyes stinging, her body boiling with anger.

"I hate kids with good instincts like you." said Tucker, scowling. That was all they needed. Ed lunged at him, grabbing his shirt at the neck and shoving him against a wall. Maya had also sprung forward with clenched fists, but Ed had been closer and faster.

"Brother!" shouted Al. But although surprised, he didn't make a move to help Tucker. Maya was shaking. She wanted to kill him, she really did. Her eyes were stinging and burning, but no tears came out. She couldn't cry, not yet.

"So that's how it was! You son of a bitch! How dare you, you bastard! You used your own wife two years ago! And this time, YOU USED YOUR OWN DAUGHTER AND DOG TO TRANSMUTE A CHIMERA!"

Al gasped again, looking over at the chimera, which had been Nina and Alexander just the day before. Maya squeezed her eyes shut, laying her head in her hands and tugging at her long blonde hair with agony.

"Yeah, you can only do so much with animal experimentation. So it should be a piece of cake if you used humans! Right!?" shouted Ed, his voice rising.

Tucker looked intently at Ed, hiding any fear he had behind his insanity, "Why are you so mad? Haven't the advances mankind has made come from the results of countless experiments on human beings, to use medical science as an example? As a scientist, you-"

"No fucking way!" shouted Ed, cutting him off. "Do you think you're going to be forgiven for doing something like this!? For… Toying with human lives!" Both Al and Maya were still standing frozen behind Ed. Al's expression wasn't visible of course, but the fact that he hadn't attempted to stop his brother's temper yet revealed how upset he was. Maya's murderous glare, on the other hand, was unmistakable. Her positive aura from the day before had been replaced by a furious rage, and she looked ready to pummel the sniveling man.

"Human lives!? Ha, Ha!" Tucker shouted, a crazed gleam in his eyes. "Fullmetal Alchemist! Take a look at your limbs and your little brother." Before he could continue, Ed punched him in the face with all his might, and with his right hand. But Tucker still turned back to Ed and continued.

"Aren't those the results of your so-called 'toying with human lives'? We're the same, you and I!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" shouted Ed.

"No, I'm not! You saw a possibility in front of you and you just had to try it!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

"And even if you knew it was banned, you couldn't stop yourself from trying!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Ed shouted a third time as he punched Tucker in the face again. The sound of his automail connecting with Tucker's jaw was sickening. "We alchemists… Stuff like this…" He punched again and again. "I… I…!" Al finally grabbed Ed's arm from behind him.

"Brother. If you hit him any more than that, he'll die." Ed scowled and gritted his teeth, but he listened to his younger brother and let go of Tucker, who collapsed on the ground in a heap. With a scowl, Ed turned and began walking out of the room with Al, passing Maya where she stood frozen in place and glaring.

"… It's not possible to get things done without dirtying your hands…" said Tucker, smiling sickly. Al turned his head back to the man.

"Mr. Tucker. If you keep talking, this time _I'll_ shut you up," he said menacingly. The usually kind and gentle Alphonse was truly frightening. Then he turned to Nina and Alexander and knelt down to take her face in his hands. "Nina. I'm sorry. We can't restore you with what we know right now," he told her. "I-I'm sorry." He whimpered, lowering his head.

"… Don't worry," slurred Tucker. "She'll be famous soon. A talking chimera! I'll be fam—" Smash. Maya had unfrozen and kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and ending his horrible speech. In a swift motion, she bent down and clasped her hands around his throat, dragging him up the wall again. She had no control over her body, consumed by rage and pain. The tears finally came pouring out, but silently, for she refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry.

"Why?" she asked in a broken voice. "Why would you do something like this to your own daughter?!" she shouted hoarsely. _It's the same… It's all the same and I couldn't see it. It's all the same!_ Tucker stared at her, barely conscious after the beating he took from Ed.

"You're angry too?" he slurred, dazed. "But not at me though… You're mad at yourself…" Maya's face went blank with surprise. "You're mad that you didn't see this coming. Ha, ha!" His laugh turned into a cough, but he hardly stopped smiling. "You failed, didn't you little girl? No, I shouldn't call you that. You're no little girl." Maya's blood ran cold. "Ever wonder how you, a mere child, have been able to develop a whole new application of alchemy? Well, I've researched for years, and it just isn't that simple. Let me ask, have you tried it on other people? Or just your own freakish body?! I doubt you're even still hu-" His words choked off again. Somewhere in her head Maya realized it was because her hands were tightening around his neck.

She'd become cold, her eyes widened but no longer could see his disgusting face. "Maya!" Al's voice pulled her back to her senses somewhat, and suddenly she let go. Tucker slid down the wall, losing consciousness. She took a step back, and another, stumbling clumsily in a stupor. Her mind tortured her, repeating Tucker's words over and over. She had always wondered, of course, why her healing alchemy only really worked on her own body. But ironically she'd written it off as her being _human_, whereas her other test subjects were animals. Now, the truth in Tucker's accusation loomed over her. She couldn't breath, as if her throat were closing in on itself. _"It can't be… no, that's not possible! N-not even…not even _what_?!"_

A cold, wet nose nudged the back of Maya's hand. "Play." said chimera-Nina's voice. "Let's play. Let's play." Maya turned around slowly, her face a mask of pain as the tears returning to her eyes. This wasn't the time to be thinking about herself.

"I'm sorry, Nina… Yeah, we can play now for a bit." she croaked, unable to hide her agony from them all. It wasn't the first time she had failed to protect someone.

* * *

**I am so very sorry for making you relive this part of the story... but, believe it or not, it is actually quite important to Maya's character development. And please don't stop reading yet! There is actual action coming up!**


	4. A New Nightmare

_"Powerless and weak, just like before. And still so naïve…._ _I failed again as an older sister."_

"How long do you plan to sulk like that?" Colonel Mustang asked coldly as the three young alchemists sat in the rain. Maya didn't even look up, just continued staring blankly down the steps they sat on, while Ed scowled at his superior.

"Shut up."

"Even if you are called a dog of the military or a devil, the one who decided to make full use of those privileges to restore those bodies was you. Do you have the time to take a break for something as minor as this?"

"'As minor'…" Ed muttered. "Yeah. I'll restore our bodies, even if we get called dogs or devils. But still, we're not devils. And we're definitely not Gods. WE'RE HUMAN BEINGS! AND WE COULDN'T EVEN SAVE ONE LITTLE GIRL!" Maya lowered her head, not wanting anyone to see her face. She hated crying in front of other people. Ed wouldn't want her to see him cry either. For now, it was all just the rain.

"You'll catch a cold out here. Go back and rest," the Colonel said in a softer tone, and then continued walking down the steps.

* * *

That night Maya sat on top of her bed, unable to sleep, trying not to let her thoughts wander. Trying to move forward somehow; to no longer be consumed by the pain and sorrow.

… _Violence, death, despair. A city in ruins and chaos. Pained cries in the streets. Close by, a woman's cold voice could be heard. "When that Fullmetal boy interfered, I was wondering what I would do… But looking at the results now, he helped us out by finishing our work here faster than what was scheduled." Then a man's voice responded._

_"With just a little control of information on our part and a little shove to the people of _my_ church, this is how things turned out. Humans are so very simple."_

_"Bloodshed begets bloodshed, hatred begets hatred… A powerful festering energy roots itself in this land and carves a crest of blood… No matter how many times they repeat it, they're unable to learn from it. Such stupid and sad creatures."_

_"And that is exactly why things are turning out as we had desired," added the man. _

_Maya could see his face now more clearly, an older and heavy-set man. The woman smiled evilly. She was beautiful, but her cruel eyes were frightening._

_"Lots of people are going to die again?" A third one asked in a strange voice. This one was hunched over and bulged outward in unnatural ways. Distantly, Maya wondered how her mind could create such interesting characters. She had dreamt of the past quite often in Risembool, but this was something new to her._

_"Yeah. A lot will die," said the woman, still smiling and looking out at the carnage of the city._

_"Can I eat all of the dead people?"_

_"No you may not." she answered firmly. The short one frowned and went back to sucking on his finger. "By the way, Envy… How long do you plan on being like that? It's making me sick."_

_"Oh come on, I was only playing the part," said the older man, 'Envy.' But as he said it, something happened. His skin began to change and deconstruct, in what looked kind of like a transmutation. Red shocks of energy danced around his body as his skin melted away and was altered… eerily similar, Maya thought, to her own skin when she performed healing alchemy._

_"But if I'm going to have to transform, instead of a worthless old geezer… It'd be nicer to look young and cute like this." He said with a grin, gesturing towards his new face. He now looked no older than Edward and had long black hair and even a different wardrobe. What the hell was going on?_

_"And yet you have the vilest personality of us all," teased the woman._

_"You trying to pick a fight with me, old lady?"_

_"MO…MONSTER!" cried someone new. It was a good thing too, because the woman's eyes had flashed with murderous intent after being called "old lady." A man in a robe stood in the doorway. "What's going on… The founder… Where is founder Cornello!? WHAT ARE YOU THINGS!" He shouted. _

"Wait, Cornello?" Maya had heard that name… "Didn't Ed mention him! Then, impossible, could this be… Liore?!"

_"What do we do?" asked the woman, not even phased. _

_"Monsters, huh? How rude." said Envy, looking genuinely annoyed._

_"CAN I EAT HIM?"_

_The two stared at the scary-looking one, almost comically. A nod was all it took. He lunged at the man, teeth bared._

Maya shot up, her shriek piercing the darkness. She was covered in sweat and couldn't catch her breath. Her head was throbbing, as if it something were repeatedly ramming against her temples. And, wait… she wasn't in bed? She had been sitting in her room… and instead was now outside in the night, on the same steps from earlier that day. She'd somehow left the whole complex where they were staying. Her eyes began scanning her surroundings. Suddenly feeling exposed, she turned and ran back inside, where at least the lights were on. It seemed she was still afraid of the dark.

She got back to her room and regained some of her composure, but her mind remained filled with vivid details of the violent scene unfolding. Hundreds of people attacking each other. Screams of pain and suffering. And those cold voices. She had never had a dream like that before. She'd dreamt of the past, of waking up, of that night, but never of something she hadn't even seen before. And her head really hurt. This was the first headache since… since… four years ago.

* * *

Maya heard Ed yelp through the wall separating their rooms. It seemed he'd also had a nightmare. She stood up from the bed she'd been sitting on for the past few hours. After that dream, it was no trouble staying awake. Rather, sleep was no longer possible. And even with all the lights on, it seemed as if the shadows they created were watching her.

It was still early, but she decided to get ready. Her headache had gone by then, leaving only the haunting images as a reminder of all that she'd seen. After Al asked if Ed was all right, Maya heard him get up and splash water on his face.

_…Could I always hear this well? Or was it just since…since then?_ All of the little abnormalities she'd ignored for so long, had locked in the back of her mind, were resurfacing. Tucker's words continued tainting her thoughts.

* * *

The three teens arrived outside Colonel Mustang's office. Maya and Ed sure as hell weren't going to knock, and it looked like Al didn't want to either. They turned and began walking away when the door opened behind them.

"Edward, Alphonse, Amaya!" Each jumped at the sound of their name.

"Oh… Lieutenant Hawkeye." Maya recovered, turning around. The Lieutenant was Maya's favorite military-affiliated person (besides Ed, of course, and possibly tied with Mustang on his more amusing days, though she'd never admit that to anyone). Hawkeye had always been kind beneath her strict exterior, and… Maya had felt a connection with her ever since meeting her in Resembool.

"What's wrong?" she asked them. "You're up early this morning."

"Oh, we were wondering…" Edward began hesitantly, his golden eyes troubled. "What's going to happen to Tucker and…Nina?" He asked with a pained expression on his face. Hawkeye's eyebrows came together and her usually calm expression looked… well, angry.

"In addition to having his license revoked, it was planned for Mr. Tucker to be put on trial at Central. However… The two of them died. Officially they were 'killed.' I'm telling you this because even if I had lied, you'd probably figure out what happened eventually." All three of their eyes widened. Maya's throat felt dry. _Killed? … it really is the same, isn't it?_ She shook herself out of the thought, scolding herself for being self-centered.

"No way… By who!?" Ed was asking, running after Hawkeye as she walked down the corridor. Al and Maya followed behind.

"I don't know. I'm heading off to the crime scene now."

"Take me too!" Ed said.

"No."

"Why not!?"

"It's better if you didn't see." she said, a sharp tone entering her voice. Ed backed off.

"She's right." Maya told him quietly. "We don't need to see… You'll just regret seeing." Ed and Al noticed her tone and turned their eyes to her, briefly distracted by the deeper implications of what she'd said. Hawkeye met Maya's gaze for a second and gave a knowing nod before she turned and went on her way.

* * *

The three sat under a clock in a courtyard near where they were staying, each of their minds trying to catch up with all that had happened.

"Brother." Al finally interrupted the silence.

"Hm? Oh… My head is so full of stuff that I don't know where to start thinking." Ed replied. "I spent all of last night thinking about what we believed alchemy is."

"'Alchemy is the knowledge, analysis and recreation of the laws and currents that exist within substances.'" responded Al, repeating what Izumi-sensei had taught them.

"The world spins through these laws. People dying is also a part of those currents. Embrace the currents. That's what sensei told us so many times that it got annoying. I thought I understood it. But because I didn't understand, back then… mother was…" Maya turned to Ed, concern swimming in her deep blue eyes. "And even now, I'm wishing desperately for a way to bring someone back. I'm an idiot. I haven't improved a bit since that time."

"That's only human…" Maya whispered. "It's the price that everyone has to pay for attachment… in exchange for the happiness we gain from others, we eventually have to part from them…" her voice faded as she was engulfed in depressing thoughts. If it was anyone's fault, she thought, it was hers.

"Maya..?" Al questioned, as usual the most composed of the three.

"I'm so pathetic." she suddenly blurted out. "I let it all repeat itself. I still was naïve and trusting, and they paid for it. I'm useless!"

"Maya… there's nothing wrong with trusting people…" said Al gently. Edward bumped his arm against hers, leaving it there for a bit, silently comforting her…

This time Ed broke the silence. "I thought that if I went outside, maybe the rain would wash off some of this sadness. But every drop hitting my face is just making me more depressed."

"… Since I don't have a body, I can't even feel the rain hitting my skin. It's really sad. It hurts." They looked up at Al. He usually was so strong and positive, but today even he was filled with sadness. "Brother. I really want to restore my body… I want to become a human being again. Even if it means doing something as hopeless as turning against the currents of the world."

"Oh! There you are! Mr. Edward!" shouted a man in a military uniform as he rushed over to them, interrupting their conversation. "Mr. Edward Elric!" he called.

_"Elric…?"_ Maya heard a man mutter to himself. Alarmed, her eyes shot around. There was no one close enough to have been heard, but she could have sworn she had.

"Thank God you're all right! We've been looking for you!" continued the officer, standing in front of where the three sat.

_"Edward…Elric…"_ That same low voice. Maya looked for the source again, slowly standing up, only half listening to the officer's introduction. This time she spotted a man in a trench coat, standing with his back to them, but looking over his shoulder, as if he had been walking away but then stopped… _when he heard Ed's name?_

"What? What do you want?" Ed asked impatiently.

"You are to return to base at once." The man told Ed in an urgent voice. Maya looked back to him, alarmed by his tone. Then she heard quick footsteps. "The truth is there's been a serial killer in this-" The man who'd said Edward's name under his breath had appeared, looming behind the military employee.

"Edward Elric…" He said, this time so everyone could hear. "THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!"

"The man with the scar on his…!" said the military employee with fear in his eyes as he turned around, reaching for his gun.

"STOP!" screamed Ed, but he was too late. As the man with the scar lunged to attack, Maya, who had already been standing, grabbed the officer with her left arm, pulling him out of the way. Using his uniform, ironically, she flung him to the side, out of reach. But she wasn't quick enough. Or the man with the scar was too quick. With the officer no longer there, he turned the momentum of his right hand to her. With horror she tried to dodge, but he managed to grab onto her right forearm.

A piercing scream echoed in the rain.

* * *

**_Hello there! Just wanted to remind everyone that the person writing this loves each and every person who reads and possibly even enjoys her story! To anyone who has actually bothered to get all the way to this chapter, thank you so much! And sorry for the cliffhanger x3 the next chapter will get pretty exciting, with finally a bunch of action, I promise!_**

**_I realize that the first few chapters were quite boring with all the character development, so I want to thank you again for sticking with it this far, and it will get better... you like have no idea, this plot gets amazing (Maya: damn right it is, it's _my_ story after all!)_**


	5. Battle in the Rain

It felt like millions of knives piercing her arm, leaving behind a trail of ragged flesh as they spread upward from where his hand grabbed her. In panic she struggled to break free but was too late. The burning cuts were about to reach her neck and chest. She felt a sharp pain where her heart must have been.

But instead of being cut, this stinging in her chest was like a fire had ignited in the middle of her chest. This fiery pain was different. It was spreading and overpowering the other stabbing pain. In a daze she fell backwards, hitting the puddled ground with a thud. _Did_…_did he just let go? _The man with the scar was scowling down at his hand, and then at her.

All she could do was clutch her arm and struggle to breath. The cuts reached up to the right side of her neck, and she could feel the hot trickle of blood spilling from each of them. The intense pain, at first debilitating, now brought a wave of adrenaline that cleared her head.

_Ed! _Her superhuman hearing had finally paid off. _That man paused and came over when he heard Ed's name. _Not to mention he'd just announced it to the world by screaming "The Fullmetal Alchemist!" and trying to kill them.

Wincing, she turned back to look at Ed, who had gone pale and stood frozen with a horrified expression on his face. He stared at Maya, at her shredded arm, at the puddle of blood and rain she was lying in; his amber eyes consumed by pain and fear and… anger.

"Run away!" she choked out with all the breath she could muster, instantly regretting it as the wound on her neck opened further. "He's after you, idiot! Go now while you still can!" He finally seemed to break out of his trance, but still hesitated, looking at her with a pained and panicked expression.

"GO, DAMMIT, OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!" she shouted louder this time, breaking into a cough at the end. Only then did she notice that the cutting extended up to the front of her throat too… any deeper and it would have pierced her trachea…

Ed turned with a scowl, cursing under his breath. But he knew that Maya was right. And if he ran now, at least the man would follow him and leave her alone.

"Al, come on!" he ordered as they took off down the street.

"You cannot escape!" yelled the man with the scar. After a final scowl at his right hand, he sprinted after them.

* * *

All three were quickly out of sight, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Maya tried to stand up, but immediately started teetering, disoriented from the pain and blood loss. She staggered over to the officer from before, who was clearly in shock, his gun lying forgotten next to him. _Wow, I threw him further than I meant to…_

His eyes were fixed on her tattered arm, no doubt imagining if his face had been in its place. "Hey. Are you ok?" she asked, trying to get his attention. "Please, tell me who that man was!"

He looked up at her and whispered, "He's the serial killer who's targeting state alchemists. He just killed one earlier today. I-I came to warn you…"

Maya's blue eyes widened. _Killing state alchemists?! _Ed was in serious turned to go but suddenly lost her balance, dizziness overwhelming her. _I can't afford to lose any more blood. _Her arm was throbbing like crazy, getting worse and worse. She was surprised it was still attached. When she tried to move it, she gasped and let out a small whimper. The bone was probably broken, and the muscles of course were shredded.

"What can I do to help you?!" asked the officer with concern, finally coming to his senses.

"Please, go and get help." Maya croaked, getting dizzier. _I've lost too much blood…_ The world was growing dim. She saw him nod and run towards the main military building, but knew it would take a while to get there. _I need to help Ed and Al, dammit. I can't afford to be injured!_ Anger rose up inside of her as darkness began to consume her vision. _No!_ She refused to lose anyone else. She would NOT stand by helplessly again. This time she would protect the people she loved!

Suddenly a sharper pain shot through her arm. The fire she'd felt in her chest before, that had rescued her, had returned. But this time it seemed determined to take her life rather than save it. With an agonized scream, she fell to the ground, writhing in pain. What was left of her skin felt like it was being annihilated as the fire snaked down her arm, more painful than the wounds had been in the first place.

...

Maya's screaming quieted. The pain disappeared as quickly as it arrived. She look down hesitantly, and could only stare with bewilderment. Her arm looked… healed?! Well, if tinted blue and red with bruises and internal damage was healed… But… that burning _had_ been similar to what her healing alchemy felt like, just a thousand times more painful. In the past, she'd only ever healed tiny scrapes, so it could be…

She tested, cautiously trying to move her fingers. _Ouch! So not healed! The bone and the outer skin seem to be though… But how the hell did that happen?! _She hadn't consciously attempted to heal her arm, nor did she even draw a transmutation circle on it.

But there wasn't time to think. She rushed off in the direction Ed and Al had run, ignoring the fact that she couldn't move her arm. She wouldn't let anyone take away her family. Not this time.

* * *

She sprinted faster than ever before it seemed, clutching her right arm. She'd covered it with a sleeve transmuted from the remains of her coat, not wanting to reveal the extent of her injury.

Suddenly she could hear Al's voice in the distance. _"BROTHER!"_

_"I will give you time to pray to God," _said what sounded like the scarred man. Maya could hear them, but couldn't see them yet. She probably shouldn't have even heard them yet. But today she was actually appreciating her freakish auditory skills.

_"Sorry, but there isn't a God I want to pray to," _said Ed. He paused. "You're only after me, right? My little brother Al… Are you going to kill him too?"

_What the Hell, Ed? What are you saying?_ Maya sped up, sighting transmuted rubble that looked more recent.

_"If there are obstacles, I will remove them. But for now, the only one I have business with is the Fullmetal Alchemist… only you." _Replied the man with the scar.

_"Really? Then promise me… That you won't touch my little brother, or the girl from before."_

_"Broth-" _began Al.

_"I will keep my word," _said the man with the scar.

"_What are you saying…?!" _screamed Alphonse. _What the hell is wrong with you Ed?! Get up and run or fight or do something! _As usual Maya's thoughts were in tune with Alphonse' sprinted as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her throat and arm. _I'm almost there!_

"BROTHER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? RUN AWAY! GET UP! RUN!"

They came into view. The scarred man towered over Ed, whose automail arm had been completely destroyed. Al lay several feet away, pieces of what had been his armor scattered on the ground. The man reached down towards Ed's head. "STOP! STOP IT!" Al screamed.

_Stamp._

_Slice._

Blood dripped onto the ground in front of Ed. He looked up, his empty gaze becoming filled with confusion.

The scarred man stood a few feet away, holding his side. Blood seeped out of the wound Maya had given him with her freshly-transmuted katana, which she'd used left-handed. Her right arm, though no longer bloody, hung limply at her side as she stood in front of Ed, between him and the enemy.

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" she screamed furiously, panting from the sprint. Then she froze, looking down at the sword in her hand with wide eyes. _WHAT is going on?! I… but… when did I…? It's raining… the transmutation circles on my shoes always wash off when they get wet…._

But that had to wait, and Maya tried to catch her breath. With only her left arm, she wasn't confident she could use the sword well enough. This was a skilled opponent who would kill her without hesitation… Her head was clearing as she met the enemy's hate-filled glare.

"… Oh, and Ed…" She swung her foot backwards and kicked the golden-haired boy in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, and hopefully some sense into him.

"Wha-" He began between coughs, his eyes regaining some of their life.

"No, that's my line. What the _hell_ is wrong with you?! Wake up! How cou-"

Her scolding was cut short when the man with the scar made his move, zigzagging towards them. Maya knew she was no match for his speed in her condition, so a close-range battle would be more dangerous. She decided to take a gamble. Though the circles on the soles of her shoes were surely gone, she stamped her foot on the ground. It sparked as transmuted stone spikes formed, shooting upward at her attacker. Now _this_ was a pleasant surprise. With another stomp she moved Ed back about twenty feet so he won't get caught up in the fight.

Edward gasped as the ground beneath him shifted, bringing him with it. He knew very little about Maya's alchemic technique, since she'd learned most of it after he and Al left home, but he remembered her complaining earlier about how easily the transmutation circles on her shoes washed off. In rain like this, how could they possibly still be in tact?! Ed's thoughts were interrupted when he saw the scarred man easily deconstruct the spikes with alchemy of his own, hardly slowing down his charge. But Maya was fast too. With the sword still in her left hand, she rushed at him. She had no other choice. It was too late for her to retreat from his speed, and trying to would just put her at more of a disadvantage.

"Too slow," the man said, his right hand speeding for her stomach. But she was faster than he anticipated. Rather than a traditional offensive attack, she slammed the katana straight down and grazed the side of his hand with its blade, forcing him to withdraw a few feet. _Though I'm not at all as precise or skilled with my left hand, speed is my specialty. Heh, with Izumi-sensei as a teacher it was be quick or get pummeled. But my opponent… I've never faced anyone as fast or dangerous. One slip-up and I'm dead. Plus I'm already down to one arm…_

"I'll admit that you're fast, but how do you plan do defeat me with only one arm?" he asked. Maya scowled as he read her thoughts.

"I'll figure it out eventually." she said, adopting a bit of Ed's rash behavior. But it was obvious she was vulnerable. Her limp arm was throwing her off balance and distracting her. She had an increased sympathy for how Ed must have felt with only one arm.

Nonetheless, she took the offensive and lunged at him with her sword. They continually exchanged blows, or rather dodged each other's, both trying not to get hit. Maya didn't have the footing to transmute the ground due to the speed of the fight, but managed to hold him off with the threat of her sword despite her useless right arm. The man soon grew frustrated, however, and decided to change his strategy and bring the battle to an end.

Breaking his usual pattern, he attacks with his left hand as Maya was dodging away from his right, catching her in the ribs with a solid punch. _Crack._ Then, rather than trying to hit her directly with his alchemy, he suddenly went for the ground beneath her feet, catching her off guard. The ground exploded upward, sending her flying backwards. Her katana was knocked from her hand and her head slammed into the ground. The searing pain overshadowed that of her battered arm and side, and then she was no longer outside in the rain.

* * *

_Instead, she was reliving a nightmare._

_Or… A memory. Yes, this was a memory, Maya knew that immediately. It was the memory she'd forgotten. She was back to her eleven-year-old self. All she could see was white. Perhaps the memory wasn't complete…? but wait… in the distance she saw something. It looked like… No, it couldn't be! _

_"Greetings," said a strange, echoing voice. Maya spun around, her eyes widening with a mixture of surprise, fear, and curiosity. _

_"Welcome, alchemist. What is the truth you seek…?"_

* * *

**Hm… another cliffhanger… **

**Oh, I thought I should finally put something in here about how the author of this story does not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Heh, I only wish.**

**Maya: *shiver* that's be horrible! she'd have written some weird stuff, like telepathy between certain characters or turning Winry into a –**

**Me: Maya. Shut up. . **

**Maya: Make me why doncha!**

**Me: In case you've forgotten, I ****_did_**** make you… literally… created you… and like wrote… stuff…**

**Maya:…**

**Me: Yeah, I thought so. Anywayyy, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite or followed! You have no idea how much it motivates me and makes me happy! x]**


	6. A Miracle

Alphonse lay helplessly on the ground, unable to move after having his body partially deconstructed. At first he was relieved when Maya appeared and knocked some sense into his brother, but now the situation was the same, the scarred man poised to kill her instead of Edward. He heard a familiar angry scream and looked up to see his brother, still far away after being removed from the battle, running towards where Maya was lying, her eyes open but not moving. He wouldn't make it in time. The scarred man loomed over her.

* * *

When she returned from the abyss of her memories, all she saw through the pelting rain was his hand preparing to deal the fatal blow. "I will give you a moment to pray." He said. Images still flashed in her head, as another sinister voice echoed from her past.

"The 'god' I've met isn't going to do me any favors," she said breathlessly, surprised she could speak at all. Her heart pounded in her chest for what could be its last beats. There was nowhere to run. With his speed, he'd just catch her. _Am I going to die this time?_ Her thoughts raced. She couldn't accept the fact that she'd never see Edward's smile again, or that she wouldn't be there when Alphonse regained a human face to smile with. And… she hadn't fulfilled her other quest yet. _To die now… before even finding her! _

"May the merciful Lord grant you peace." His rigid hand raced down towards her face and she felt warm tears spill from her eyes.

_"NO!"_

* * *

When her imminent death hadn't come, Maya glanced upward and saw that he had frozen only an inch from her skin. The man's scarred face was a mask of confusion. Little did she know that he was now reliving his own memory. The look on Maya's face had reminded him of a murder he actually regretted. Maya was so _familiar_, her expression exactly like that woman's had been… even their wide blue eyes were the same…

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the street. "That's as far as you go." Colonel Mustang's familiar voice declared. Armed soldiers had blocked the street, and Mustang took in the scene with a scowl. Maya pinned to the ground, Alphonse in pieces, Edward missing an arm (but still running towards Maya prior to the gunshot.) Though it was unclear what he planned to do with one arm, at least he'd regained his will to live.

"That was a close call, Fullmetal." Mustang said.

"Colonel! This guy's…"

"That man is a suspect for the serial murders of national alchemists… But there's no doubt now, looking at the present situation. So, you're also behind the murders at the Tucker residence?"

"Alchemists twist the natural state of creation to the degenerate form, and that is sacrilege to our creator, God. As the messengers of God, we are those that carry out God's judgment," replied the man with the scar.

"That's something I don't understand. There are many alchemists, but why are you targeting only those that have state certification?"

"If you intend to interfere, I will eliminate you too."

"…Interesting!" said Mustang, tossing his gun to Hawkeye as he slipped on his gloves. _Oh no…_ Maya thought, recognizing his tone.

"Colonel Mustang!" Hawkeye protested.

"Don't lay a finger on him." He ordered.

"Mustang…" The scarred man repeated. "As in the state alchemist?"

"Indeed! Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist!" He stated.

"So you've come in person to receive judgment… today is a good day." The scarred man began his charge.

"You know that I'm the Flame Alchemist and yet you dare fight me! You fool!"

What came next was almost comical, and happened in a flash. As Mustang snapped his fingers and the scarred man's hand lunged toward his face, Hawkeye tripped the Colonel from behind and aimed her guns at the enemy, causing him to miss his target as he dodged bullets and retreated.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" Mustang shouted at Hawkeye.

"You're worthless when it's raining. Please stay back Colonel." she replied.

"Oh, yeah. When it's this wet you can't make a spark." Havoc commented matter-of-factly from behind them.

"National alchemists and those who are obstacles to my mission! I will annihilate everyone here!"

"THEN TRY TO!" shouted a newcomer. A huge, muscled man with a bald head and iron on his fists appeared. Maya saw everyone roll their eyes or stare knowingly as he introduced himself as The Strong-Arm Alchemist, Alex Louis Armstrong. Despite his size, he remarkably agile and could actually match the enemy's speed. The strength of his alchemy was also impressive… though taking off his shirt really didn't seem necessary. They were on equal ground, but Armstrong had backup. One of Hawkeye's shots grazed the scarred man's forehead, knocking his sunglasses off.

"Red eyes and brown skin!" exclaimed Armstrong.

"An Ishvalan…!"

The man with the scar slammed his right hand on the ground beneath him and deconstructed it, escaping to the sewers.

* * *

Maya struggled to stand up with one arm. Her side was throbbing where she'd been punched, and the back of her head didn't feel great either. She staggered worriedly over to Alphonse and Edward.

"Al! Are you ok? Hey!" Ed was yelling.

"You…STUPID BROTHER!" shouted Al, suddenly punching Ed in the face. Maya stepped back in surprise. Yeah, that was the same reaction she'd had, with a kick instead of a punch, but she never expected it of Al. "Why didn't you run away when I told you to?!"

"Because I can't just leave you behind and run away…"

"That's why I called you stupid!" yelled Al as he punched Ed again.

"What's wrong with you!? If I'd done that you might have been killed!"

"I might not have been killed! How could you do something stupid like choosing to die when you could keep living!?

"Don't call your big brother stupid!"

"I'll say it again and again!" Al grabbed Ed's shirt collar roughly. The elder brother looked dumbfounded. "You might find a way to restore our bodies if you survive and learn more about alchemy! And you might even find a way to save a poor girl like Nina! But how could you toss away that possibility and pick death? …I absolutely won't forgive you if you do that!" CRUNCH! Al's arm disintegrated and broke off. "Aw, and now my arm came off! Brother you idiot!"

Ed couldn't help but smile a little. "Ah! We're all beat up. There's no way we can suck this much."

"…but we're alive."

"Yeah. We're alive," repeated Ed, looking at his brother with a gentle expression. Seeing that they had made peace, Maya spoke.

"heh… sorry about before, by the way. But you have to admit you deserved that kick." she said smiling awkwardly at Ed and waiting for him to yell at her.

"Hey are you ok!?" He blurted out suddenly, surprising Maya with his sudden concern.

"O-Of course! I'm fine! Still in one piece, unlike the two of you…" Then her tone shifted to a whine. "Look at my poor automail! It'll need to be reconstructed from scratch! And-"_  
_ "Amaya! Don't you dare change the subject!" Al interrupted angrily. Maya's mouth hung slightly open, her words dead in her throat. Al had never yelled at her before. And he'd even resorted to using her full name! "You're no better than brother! How could you follow us and try to fight him in your condition?!" he continued scolding. "You couldn't even stand when we left. The alchemy he hit you with could've killed you!"

Hearing this, Colonel Mustang came over from where he'd been talking to Hughes. "What did you just say?"

…

"Maya got hurt," explained Ed, pain and regret lurking in his voice. Before they could continue, the guard Maya rescued came running up.

"Miss, thank you so much! You saved my life and I'm so grateful!"

"Please, it was nothing." Maya replied awkwardly, blushing a bit. "After all, it was our fault you were in that situation in the first place…" she frowned.

"Nonsense, I was doing my job. But how is your injury?" He asked, looking at her arm with concern and then confusion. A sleeve now covered it, since she hadn't wanted to display the extent of her injury in battle, but there weren't any bloodstains…

"It's ok. It still hurts like hell but I'll live," she said with a lighthearted tone and a smile.

"But I don't get it, your arm was completely mutilated." He insisted with a pale look on his face, remembering the gruesome sight.

"Yeah… Maya, how'd you even run here after that?" asked Al. "It wasn't just the skin that was damaged. It looked like the bone and everything! And… there was so much blood…"

"Wait," interjected Colonel Mustang. "Did you actually get hit directly by one of Scar's alchemic attacks?"

"Just partly…" Maya said quietly. "He only got my arm." she muttered.

"That shouldn't matter!" continued Mustang. "His technique in other cases instantly caused the entire body to deconstruct from the inside, regardless of where he touched!" Maya's eyebrows knit together in confusion. She still had no explanation for how the attack had been stopped before it could kill her.

"And why aren't you visibly injured? Bleeding?" asked Mustang, his voice still rising. Maya scowled and looked away. Even she didn't know what the hell had happened_… I had just thought of Ed and Al and how I didn't have time to let an injury slow me down._ _It was similar to my medical alchemy, but I didn't use a transmutation circle or even consciously try to heal…_

The silence continued until Mustang grew impatient. He pulled her up by the arm to take her for questioning. He just _had_ to grab her _right_ arm. In his defense, it looked unharmed under the sleeve, and he hadn't known which arm was injured…

Hearing Maya cry out in pain, Mustang let go, his usually-focused eyes actually surprised and concerned. She clutched her arm, unable to catch her breath.

"Maya!" Ed exclaimed, gently supporting her so she didn't fall backwards as her legs gave out and she sank to the ground.

"We need a medic!" Mustang shouted. He kneeled down and carefully removed her coat. They gasped. Her arm was covered in intricate blue and red stains beneath the skin, where the muscles and blood vessels were still in tatters. It snaked upward like blood poisoning all the way up to her neck where the discoloration finally stopped. Then Mustang glanced down and noticed the fresh blood. Maya had been too preoccupied with her inability to breathe and light-headedness to noticed the hot stickiness spreading from her side. _"_She needs to go to the hospital! Now!"

"Maya! Stay with us!" a voice echoed as her vision blurred. The last thing she saw was a pair of panicked golden eyes, and then everything went dark.

* * *

She heard what sounded like distant voices. "How bad is it?" _Was that… Mustang?_

"It's…It's like the entire arm has been turned inside out. But somehow the bone and the outer layer of skin are still in tact. It's just… impossible that's what it is. All we can do right now is bandage it up and pray for a miracle… Also, the bleeding on her side was caused by one of her three broken ribs splintering from the force of the impact and puncturing the skin. Recovering from that may also prove quite difficult. The rest of her injuries are a sprained leg, a concussion, and some bruises and cuts that aren't as severe."

…

"Do whatever you can…."

* * *

The pain in her arm and side was getting worse, as if her insides were on fire. She couldn't do anything to stop it. She couldn't see anything, couldn't move, and couldn't escape. The fire was getting worse, going deeper and deeper into her arm and chest. She couldn't even breathe as she felt herself receiving the wounds over and over again. Her own body tortured her, making her suffer through even greater pain than the wounds themselves had caused.

And as suddenly as before, it just stopped. She couldn't feel anything, couldn't see, couldn't hear. She was finally asleep.

* * *

_Stumbling through icy rain, the little girl desperately fought to stay on her feet as the dirt path turned to mud._

_After what felt like an eternity, she glimpsed the unmaintained house at the edge of the town. It had been years, but even in the dark she recognized the outlines of withered trees in the front yard. She stumbled to the front door, and had finally gathered the courage to knock when she heard footsteps behind her. She spun around, preparing to fight. Instead her eyes widened with surprise… and dread._

_"Onee-chan… what is this place…?"_

_Before Maya could answer, the door behind her swung open, and she was pulled into the darkness._

* * *

**Maya: why the hell do you always end on some weird flashback that you don't even continue until chapters later?!**

**Me: … it just ends up that way… I don't want people to get any more bored than they probably already are…**

**Maya: pshh, how can they be bored, my story is like the most twisted and complicated thing ever!**

**Me: sigh, yes it's quite exciting, but being complicated means a lot of people probably don't want to read about it.**

**Maya:… well then they're going to miss out on the NEXT CHAPTER, where we find a philosopher stone and I freak out because I'm–**

**Me: *clamps hand over Maya's mouth* ok then, chill out Maya. Thanks for reading everyone! The next chapter won't have much fighting, but guess what?! You FINALLY get to hear more about Maya's past! And then, the chapter after that… well lets just say we finally meet some homunculi in person…**


	7. Dr Marcoh's Stone

Maya opened her eyes and sat up groggily, blinking at the hospital room. She got out of bed yawning. _Wait, the hospital?!_ It all came rushing back to her. She looked down to see her arm splinted and covered in bandages. Her chest was also wrapped up. But she wasn't in any pain... _They must have some amazing painkillers here in the city… _

_Ed and Al! _She quickly made her way to the door, but itslid open right as she reached for it. Being greeted by those golden eyes made her feel so relieved. That is, until their owner opened his mouth.

"What the hell are you doing out of bed?!" Ed shouted despite being in a hospital.

"Shhhhh! What is this, role reversal?" Maya responded. "I'm fine!"

"No, you are NOT fine! You are practically suicidal! Going back into battle in that condition?! Even if you could've used both arms, that man has murdered state alchemists! Do you have any idea…" While he continued yelling, Maya stumbled back until she sat on the bed, staring at Ed. It was completely unlike him to show so much anger when his height wasn't involved… And yet he continued his rant, without letting Maya get a word in. He didn't even notice when Mustang walked up behind him and Al was carried into the room.

"You're awake?" the Colonel asked incredulously, interrupting the scolding. Ed's face took on an embarrassed look when he realized that they'd heard him. "You weren't supposed to recover until…" he narrowed his onyx eyes but brushed his thought aside for a second. "Anyway, there isn't an alchemist in all of Amestris who can close up their wounds like that, especially in the middle of battle. Explain."

"I…I don't know how it happened!" Maya exclaimed desperately, too overwhelmed to even display the usual attitude she reserved for Mustang. "I just had to do something to help, and then suddenly… my arm felt, like, on fire and began transmuting itself." They just stared at her. She sighed and brought her hand to her face in frustration.

_Wait…_ She stared at her _right_ hand.

"Maya what is it?" asked Al.

"Yeah, you have the dumbest look on your face," continued Ed. She shot him a glare.

"Well… look." She cautiously moved her right arm, which she had raised to her face, even though all her muscles were supposedly injured. Then she slipped the splint off.

"Whoa what are you doing? Maya?"

"I just need to see something…" She tried wiggling her fingers, which during battle had caused thousands of needles to shoot up her arm. No pain at all.

A sinking feeling gathered in the pit of her stomach, and she furiously began unwrapping the bandages. "Stop! What the hell are you-!"As she revealed her arm, everyone in the room gasped. Her skin was back to its normal color. She slowly stretched out her arm. No sign of any injury.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Her voice was barely audible. She reached down and pulled up the side of her hospital gown. The bandage had blood on it, but she couldn't feel pain, even when she started poking at her ribs.

"Amaya, be careful!" exclaimed Al. The Colonel and Ed just stared blankly, baffled by the situation. After all, Ed had seen her receive the injuries and Mustang had even spoken to the horrified doctor who treated her.

She ripped the bandage off her side and froze. Her cream-colored skin was spotless. There was no sign of the injury, not even a scar.

"What the hell is going on?" she whispered.

The Colonel scowled. "You are not to speak of this, do you understand?" He said firmly and urgently.

"Wha-… what do you mean?"

"If anyone were to find out, you'd become a test subject for the rest of your life…. or worse. You were never severely injured, just in shock. Got it?! I'll talk to the doctor…"

She nodded, dazed. _A miracle? Yeah right…_

* * *

Ed and Maya sat in the train across from "The Strong Arm Alchemist, Alex Louis Armstrong!" If Mustang hadn't threatened to court-martial Ed for not following orders, they would've ditched him… but that would be tricky now since poor Al had been stowed with the livestock.

They were heading to a town that had the specific parts Maya needed to reconstruct Ed's arm. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes saw them off, bringing a message from Mustang.

"Post-processing is a bit of a pain, so I will not permit you to die within my jurisdiction." Hughes announced, his voice mimicking the Colonel's. Maya snickered. She had a feeling that Mustang secretly cared about his subordinates, particularly the boy sitting next to her.

Ed, on the other hand, was pissed. "Tell him I said 'Roger that, I will not die before you do, Colonel Crap.'" Maya couldn't help but laugh loudly, and was joined by Hughes.

"You and that bastard Roy ought to have long lives!" The train began pulling out of the station. "Well then, be careful on your journey! If you pop by Central, give a holler." He said, saluting. Ed and Armstrong saluted back, Ed with his left hand of course. Maya grinned and decided to salute even though she wasn't in the military.

No one saw the hooded figure slip onto the train at the last second.

* * *

The blonde's mood declined right as the train started moving. She suddenly felt sick. Her chest was tight and her head throbbed, even though she never got headaches. Except for when she'd… had that nightmare… But the stubborn girl kept it to herself.

"So, Miss Amaya, you are both an alchemist and an automail mechanic? How did you become interested in those two fields?" Major Armstrong asked.

She smiled, trying not to let it turn into a grimace. "Hm, well I've always had a knack for building things, as well as for alchemy I guess. My grandmother makes automail and taught me her techniques, though I've made a few changes with alchemy to speed up the process and improve durability." She rolled her eyes disapprovingly at the boy next to her. "And yet _someone_ still managed to get it destroyed." Ed narrowed his eyes with one of his stubborn glares before continuing to stare out the window. "And… my mom was a doctor, so that also encouraged me to develop my medical alchemy I guess."

"Was…?" the Major asked. Ed glanced over at Maya, discreetly trying to make sure she was ok with this conversation. He knew that it was entering into territory that she would rather avoid.

"Uh, yeah… She was killed during the Ishvalan Civil War while part of a medical team." Maya strained to keep a straight face. Her head was still pounding like before, and thinking about such painful memories didn't help her already-shallow breathing. She therefore didn't see the flash of pain and dread in Armstrong's eyes at the mention of the war.

"…And what does your father do?" the Major asked, trying to change the subject to something more positive. He failed miserably. Maya's whole body went rigid, her nails digging into her palms as her fists clenched.

The memory of the last time she'd seen her father, alive that is, flashed through her mind.

_Drenched from the rain and standing with her back to that menacing door, she stared in horror at her younger sister. What was she doing there?! Hadn't Ash been sound asleep when Maya snuck out the window on her dangerous mission? Maya opened her mouth to speak. To tell her to go home. To make her run away in case this didn't go well. But she never had the chance._

_Behind her, the door swung open. Before she could even turn around, his cold hands pulled her into the house. She violently flailed her arms, trying to break free. Her scream was muffled when a damp cloth smashed up against her face, covering her nose and mouth. She couldn't breathe, and the cloth smelled horrible. Her head began to hurt, her thinking slowing and her vision getting dimmer. _

_As she collapsed to the floor, she saw Ash frozen outside, unable to comprehend the situation. The tiny girl just stared at her older sister as the man stalked outside, preparing to take her as well. Everything flickered and faded to black.  
_

But even that was nothing compared to the last time she'd "seen" her father. Maya couldn't stop the memory from taking over.

_The stench of blood was overwhelming. It assaulted her senses as she regained consciousness. Slumped against a wall in the dim basement, unable to move her body, Amaya brought her eyes into focus. If only she hadn't… Those pale green eyes stared blankly back at her from the center of the circle, not blinking. Blood soaked through the tatters of clothing. Torn flesh and exposed bones jutted out in unnatural directions. But the eyes… A crazed look still lingered within their depths, though their light had long been extinguished. She wanted to scream, but couldn't find her voice. Panic welled up within her and she couldn't breathe. But then she remembered. Where was Ash?!_

The feel of Edward's warm hand over hers brought Maya back from the realm of her memories. She'd been staring blankly in front of her, sitting stiffly and silently. Major Armstrong wore a look of concern, unaware of the torturous images in her mind. And while Edward hadn't seen that room and was injured and recovering at the time, he knew enough.

"My father… was an alchemist," she finally replied in a quiet voice that hid her fury. The Major heard an undertone in her voice, but mistook it for her missing her parents.

"Well then, it seems you take after both your mother and fath—"

"NO I DON'T!" Maya practically shouted. "I am nothing like that man and never will be! I…" she suddenly realized what a scene she'd made. People around them were staring, and Major Armstrong looked dumbfounded. "I…I'm sorry," she apologized genuinely. "…The sadistic man who biologically was my 'father' only caused us grief. He's the last person I'd allow myself to be like..." They fell into silence as the train sped down the tracks. Ed kept his hand on Maya's for a long while, but she still didn't feel like it was long enough before he casually removed it. She needed him. He was her anchor. Without him, she feared the dark memories would engulf and destroy her.

* * *

As the train ride continued, the pain of the present began to overshadow that of the past. Her head throbbed and her trouble breathing worsened, almost like being claustrophobic. She had the strong desire to exit the train. To escape. The unpleasant feeling of dread… no, of fear. But why? Fear of what? Ed noticed her begin to shake a little.

"Maya? Hey, are you ok?"

"Oh… Um, yeah. I'm just not feeling well, but I'll be fine." she said quietly.

"Train sickness?"

"This didn't happen the last time…"

"Hmm… weird."

"Would you like ME to assist you?!" asked Armstrong enthusiastically, already recovered from the somber mood. Maya jolted upward. _HELL NO! _She smiled, and spoke quickly, fearing he would strip or something.

"Uh, that's ok! Just talking is making me feel better already!"

* * *

Finally, the train reached the stop before theirs. Ed was dozing off when suddenly Armstrong pressed his head up against the window.

"DR. MARCOH!" He shouted at a man walking up the train platform. "Are you not Dr. Marcoh?! It's me, Alex Louis Armstrong from Central!" The man gave him a horrified look and dashed away.

"You know him?" asked Ed.

"Yes… He is a very capable alchemist from an alchemic research agency of central. He took part in research to use alchemy for medical purposes but disappeared after the civil war." _…Medical alchemy?_

"Let's get off!" said Ed, his thoughts in tune with Maya's.

Maya's headache and inability to breathe lessened considerably once she was outside. After retrieving Al from the livestock train car (he reeked of sheep but was fine), they began their search for this "Doctor Marcoh."

None of them saw the hooded figure slip off the train behind them. Nor could they have identified her as the reason for Maya's discomfort. They were still blissfully unaware of who Lust even was, and didn't notice her following them from a distance. Guarding her precious sacrifices was about to lead her to a very interesting discovery.

* * *

The four tracked down the doctor's home, Armstrong carrying Al around in a wooden crate. Ed slowly opened the door. "Hel…lo" he said, stopping cold at the end when he saw a gun pointed at his head.

"What did you come here for!?" the doctor demanded.

"Please calm down, doctor!" said the Major.

"Did you come to take me back!? I don't want to go back there! Please! Just let me be….!"

"That's not true. Please listen to what I have to say."

"Then did you come here to silence me by killing me?!"

"No, we-"

"I won't be fooled!"

"I SAID TO CALM DOWN!" exclaimed Major Armstrong, throwing Al and his crate at Marco.

"Al!" Ed and Maya yelled in unison.

* * *

Doctor Marcoh had to let them in. He explained what the military had made him do during the civil war: mass murder. Though he had no hopes of atonement, he was acting as a doctor in the town for as long as he could.

"Just what did you research?" asked Armstrong.

Marcoh hesitated. "I made the philosopher's stones." They all stared at him.  
"Do you have a stone!?" exclaimed Ed.

"Yes. It's in here." He said, taking a vial containing a red liquid from the cabinet behind him.

"Ah…!" Maya gasped and her hands flew to her head. She felt sick again, but this time her headache was worse. An overwhelming flood of noise pulsed through her skull. It sounded like hundreds of voices all talking at once, screaming at her.

"Maya?! Amaya what's wrong?!" Ed put his hands on her shoulders, trying to get a response. She slowly looked up, her blue eyes filled with horror. The noise… was coming from the liquid!

"Wha… What is that thing?!" she whispered.

Al, Ed and Marco stared at Maya with worried and confused expressions. She shook her head, trying to regain her composure. But this didn't stop the noise. It was like being in a crowded place, but worse because it was in her head. Her ears physically hurt, and her temples throbbed with the stress.

"That… what is it?!" she asked again desperately, staring at the little vial with panicked blue eyes.

Marcoh looked at her cautiously for a second before answering, "As I said, it's a stone."

Ed turned back from Maya. "A 'stone'… isn't that liqu…" Marcoh spilled it onto the table, where it immediately pulled together into a round shape. Ed, of course, started to poke at it. Maya slowly bent over towards it, and the noise pulsing through her head increased.

"The Philosopher's Stone, The Celestial Stone, The Great Elixir, The Fifth Element. Just as the Philosopher's Stones have several names, their shapes are not limited to that of stones. However, they remained experimental creations even in the end. Imperfect objects that will eventually reach their limitations and become unusable. And yet, they were used secretly during the Civil War, and their overwhelming power was demonstrated." Ed donned an excited smile, hearing only what he wanted to hear.

"Even though you're saying they're an imperfect creation, making it means that with further research we might be able to produce a perfect one! Mr. Marcoh, can you show me your research files!?" exclaimed Edward, eagerly leaning towards Marcoh.

"M-Major Armstrong, who are these children?"

"They're all alchemists, and this young man is even a state alchemist."

Marcoh rested his head in his hand. "And now even children… After the Civil War, so many state alchemists couldn't bear to stay human weapons and relinquished their licenses! And yet, you…."

"I know, it was a stupid decision! But, until I accomplish my objectives, I'm going to have to continue to pay that price!" Ed shouted.

Meanwhile, Maya couldn't take it anymore. The shouting and screaming, not of anyone in the room, was drowning out her own thoughts and bringing tears to her eyes. She stood up and stumbled backwards, clutching her head and covering her ears. But that didn't help.

"Maya!"

Marcoh, seeing her distress, took the stone away and put it back into its cabinet. She let out a breath. She could still hear the buzz of noise, but it was more faint. She couldn't hear the specific voices anymore, and it all blended together into white noise. Her breathing calmed, though it all had left her exhausted.

"What just happened?" asked Ed with frustration and confusion.

"I…. I don't know. I started hearing this awful noise. I-I couldn't stand it! It was like… like thousands of voices crying out to me."

Fear flashed in Marcoh's eyes.

But he recovered before anyone could see. "Enough of this!" he said firmly, determined to change the subject. "Why do you want a stone in the first place? Why are you here?"

* * *

**Ok, so I know I promised some homunculi ****_in person _****in the next chapter, but it's been changed to the chapter after that… I am sorry… well I might change it back I guess… it depends, do you want a Risembool cute scene, or just skip to the action? Send me a message/review if you want to tell me which! :D **

**But hey, it won't be boring either way, I promise!**

**Also, I wanted to thank each and every one of you who followed, favorited, and especially reviewed! You're all amazing and wonderful. Without you I wouldn't have half the motivation I do.**

**Maya: tch, yeah she's so lazy and can't ever make decisions about how to write stuff.**

**Me: that's just because there's so much to write about! But people get bored of too much information at once… and of not enough... I just don't know!**

**Maya: Well then they'll just have to tell you what they want! You hear that, review so you can hear about more of my awesomeness!**

**((Thank you so much everyone!))**


	8. Hearing Voices

Ed explained his and Al's past to Marcoh, and then Maya began her story. Unlike with Tucker, she had to tell the truth. There was nothing else to exchange, since Marcoh's alchemy was already more advanced than hers.

…And it was strange… the alchemy he performed with the philosopher's stone resembled her healing alchemy a lot… this troubled her, but as she began to speak, she was more preoccupied with her troublesome memories. She didn't know, but that similarity would return to haunt her in the near future. The truth would not be pleasant.

"My story is kind of a continuation of Ed's…" Maya hesitated. She'd never told the story in front of Edward or Alphonse… She hadn't wanted to worsen Ed's condition by burdening him with such disturbing information. Al had already seen so much, but still hadn't heard about how everything began.

"I'll keep it simple." she decided to just go for it, but to keep it short. "My father, Victor Black, left my mother, sister and me when I was six years old. Ash was only three. Two years later my mother, Sara Rockbell, was killed in Ishval while part of a medical team during the war. The two of us lived with our Granny right near Ed and Al. My… _father_ had moved to the edge of town and was rarely seen. He was an alchemist obsessed with his research. Some of it had to do with medical alchemy, but most of it was a different and darker alchemy. I still don't know what exactly he was researching.

The night that Ed and Al attempted human transmutation, I… I was stupid. I snuck out into the rain, thinking that _he_ and his alchemic skills would be able to help heal Ed, and maybe even help Al. I made my way to his house in the dark, but right when I was about to go in… I realized that Ash had followed me." Everyone in the room was silent, their eyes glued to the young girl.

"Before I could tell Ash to go home, I was suddenly pulled into the house, and something covered up my nose and mouth. I became dizzy, and everything went black….. When I woke up, I was lying in the basement next to a giant transmutation circle and a… corpse. Luckily Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye had come to recruit in our town, and helped track me down. Though apparently they didn't arrive until I'd been missing for a long time…"

Maya turned to Al. "And that's about when you arrived, Al." He nodded slightly. If he hadn't been trapped within an emotionless suit of armor, his face would have been contorted with dread as he visualized the scene. When he'd got there, Maya had been unconscious in the Lieutenant's arms. Mr. Black… had been in the center of what looked like a ruined transmutation circle. Al hadn't been able to tell, since somehow the whole basement floor had been cracked, crumbled, and deconstructed. There was no sign of Ash anywhere. And when Maya awoke, and saw what remained of her father… the terrified look on her face was ingrained in Al's memory.

All the while, Ed was staring at Maya with an unwavering gaze. Within his amber eyes was agony as he saw her suffering from the horrible memories. He hadn't known. He'd been in so much pain, and was often unconscious while he healed. He'd noticed that she wasn't by his side after that first night, but assumed she just came in while he was asleep. Then, when she finally returned, all she'd told him was that there had been an accident. Her father hadn't been a part of their lives, so his death hadn't seemed that important. But Ash had disappeared, and all he'd been told was that she was "missing." That was the official story that Mustang had concocted. When he later tried to confront Maya about it, the frightened and pained look that the topic caused made Ed not dare to discuss it again. But Ed realized that he'd failed to be there for her.

"But what happened during the time between when you were brought into the house and when you were found? How long was it exactly?" Marco asked.

Maya swallowed. "Apparently… it was nine days before I was found. I can't remember anything that happened before waking up-…" But as she thought about the huge gap in her memory, her eyes widened in horror. A flood of information flowed into her head, and she gasped in surprise.

It was true that she couldn't remember before… that is, until the recent battle with Scar… But now there was no escape. She had used alchemy without a transmutation circle, hadn't she? She suddenly realized. That's why she could transmute the ground even in the rain when the bottoms of her shoes had been washed clean. And the price of such a power… was painful knowledge. Memories she'd been better off forgetting.

Maya's face turned pale. She'd… she'd been through the gate. And during her battle with Scar she'd remembered what happened in that empty abyss, but those memories weren't returning now! She could only see the flashes of images – bits and pieces. The white landscape. That menacing grin.

And then some new images began to return. The disturbing memories of what happened right before Mustang and Hawkeye had found her. She hadn't remembered…

* * *

_Staring at the transmutation circle before her, she felt her shock and despair turn to anger. As she sat disoriented with her back against the stone wall of the basement, that fury burnt through her body, stinging her eyes, and channeling through her arms to where her hands touched the ground on either side of her legs. The stone floor began to crack and collapse, spreading from her spot at one edge of the accursed circle._

_She didn't care about what she'd just done, or how she had done it. All she cared about was… was that Ash was gone._

_She still hadn't actually moved. Her body felt strange and foreign, though she could look down and see that it was intact. The musty smell of blood had already reached her nose, and she couldn't help but lift her eyes… the mangled corpse stared back at her from the middle of the circle._

_Footsteps echoed into the room as two people in uniform ran through the door. One was a tall, slim man with broad shoulders, black hair, and dark eyes. Following him was a blond woman with short hair, a slender figure, and a focused gaze. They both sported deep blue military uniforms and horrified expressions as they took in the disturbing scene._

_The man was first preoccupied by the now-crumbled markings on the floor. He bent down to inspect it, his scowl deepening as he looked to the broken body lying where the center of the circle had been. The woman scanned the room, her eyes lingering at one edge of the circle, where Maya lay. She cautiously approached across the cracked terrain, and the man followed once he finished studying the markings. Upon seeing the girl was alive and awake, the man marched over to where she was huddled and grabbed her by the shoulders urgently._

_"Just what the hell happened here? Identify yourself!" he demanded._

_She could have answered. Could have told him that her name was Amaya Rockbell, and that her naïve trust had just ruined everything, robbing her of the only family she had… but instead she just stared blankly at him. It no longer mattered. Nothing mattered anymore._

_But wait… that wasn't true. Something in the back of Amaya's mind began to wake her from her stupor. There was still something… someone that she had in the world…? Her brain was foggy, but memories danced and flashed within the haze. Colors. _Gold._ What had she seen in that white place…? People she loved were waiting there… "I asked you a question, dammit! What happened here?" She swallowed, looking up at his angry expression. Then she noticed the woman behind him. Her brown eyes were guarded, but they were sad and almost sympathetic and comforting as she met Amaya's gaze._

_Something about her eyes made Amaya's frozen trance melt away. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stifled her sobs. "I… I'm sorry," she sniffled, not really apologizing to the two officers. Obviously surprised and uncomfortable, the man let go of her and backed off a bit. The woman knelt down to Amaya's level and gently asked, "Can you tell us what happened…?"_

_Maya tried to remember… but as she did her mind began to spin, and she grew dizzy. One memory. One color. Red. Blood. A heart of stone. Crimson._

_Everything faded to black once again. _

_When she woke up a few minutes later in Lieutenant Hawkeye's arms, she'd have no memory of anything that happened right before entering the gate, within the gate, or right after leaving the gate. While she was better off forgetting… that knowledge would haunt everything she did._

_"And when she finally does remember, her life will be changed forever."  
__A cruel voice chuckled._

* * *

Maya returned to the present and saw everyone staring at her. She'd really only been silent and frozen for about 30 seconds. Her main revelation from these new, broken memories was that her sister had disappeared. And that the markings on the floor before she'd destroyed them were eerily similar to a human transmutation circle.

She knew there was so much more, but her mind seemed to be repressing the memories. Were they that horrible?! Maya knew the answer probably was 'yes.' What had happened in the gate? And… better yet, between when she'd been knocked out and when she'd met the Truth. Where had Ash gone?

She struggled internally to suppress her rising panic, but it seemed Marcoh didn't want to push her too far.

He turned to Ed. "So… You ignored the ban. I was surprised, I didn't believe it possible to successfully transmute the soul of a particular person… You might be able to create a perfect philosopher's stone."

"Then…!"

"NOT A CHANCE!" shouted Marcoh. "This is the end of the discussion. Go home. I cannot let you have the stone for something as minor as restoring your bodies."

"MINOR!?" Ed and Maya shouted simultaneously.

"Doctor, that isn't fair!" argued Major Armstrong.

"It is better if you didn't see it. That's the research of the devil. Once you know about it, you'll see the very face of Hell."

"Hell?! I saw it a long time ago!" hissed Ed.

….

"…. I can't let you. Please go home," said Marcoh. Maya stood there, scowling at him. The doctor turned and opened up the cabinet again. His guests didn't know, but it was an experiment of his. Maya gasped quietly as fresh pain stabbed into her temples and screaming voices overwhelmed her once again.

Marcoh looked on with a curious expression.

"P-Please put it away!" she begged weakly. Ed rushed over to her, his golden eyes concerned.

"What's wrong?" he turned and saw Marcoh's now-somber expression. "What are you doing to her?!"

"It isn't me…" replied Marcoh innocently. Kind of true…

"Maya, what is it?"

"My head… it hurts so much when that thing is near me!"

"The stone?"

"Don't… Don't any of you feel that? And can't you hear something?" She wasn't sure what it was… those pained screams and pleading voices.

"Uh… no. Nothing…" Ed turned to Marcoh. "Has this ever happened with anyone before?" He said roughly, no doubt also still angry at Marcoh's rejection.

"No…" said Marcoh, closing the cabinet again. Suddenly the pressure lessened again. She actually lost her balance and almost fell with the change. She sighed with relief. But the pain was still there, just less intense. She had to get out of that house!

The four of them left, leaving Marcoh staring at the cabinet with a depressed look on his face. He had a horrible feeling about those children. Especially about _her_…

* * *

When Maya got outside she felt better, but the pressure and pain in her head was still there. The distance between her and the stone helped immensely… But this relief didn't last long. As they walked into town again, the pressure in her chest grew worse again. It wasn't as bad as it had been on the train, but it was worse than when she was in Marcoh's house. But as they kept walking, it escalated. The panicked feeling was worse than it had been even on the train. She could barely keep up with the others, and was growing dizzy.

A fear and dread rose up within her again as they bustled through the crowded town square. She spun around. Someone… she knew there was something there. Something stalking them. Something dangerous. And now she could almost sense where it was. Despite the crowd, she caught a glimpse of a hooded figure on the other side of the square, facing her from where they'd just come. Though the hood covered the person's face, there was something familiar about… her. Maya couldn't place it, but this "aura" of sorts was familiar. As if she'd sensed it before…_ dreams._ She couldn't see the piercing eyes, but felt them boring into her.

When the crowd thickened momentarily, Lust turned and quickly disappeared, heading in the direction of Dr. Marcoh's house. Her own thoughts were twisting. That girl… the Fullmetal's companion… something was off about her. Lust felt almost pulled towards her, and wondered why. She cringed at the thought. She shouldn't be so intrigued by a mere mortal! None of her siblings even had this kind of effect on her. Though… she thought about it and realized that it was similar to… no, that wasn't possible… Father's attraction was different… but the resemblance was there. These thoughts and many more swirled in the homunculus's mind as she made her way towards the house of a newly-discovered sacrifice.

One moment Maya saw the figure, and the next it disappeared. Maya finally turned and stumbled through the crowd after Ed, Al, and the Major. As she moved away, she felt the fear and pain in her head slowly lessen.

But what was going on? Why was her body behaving so strangely? A new fear emerged. A fear of herself.

* * *

They arrived back at the train station.

"…You could have quickly taken the stone by force…" Major Armstrong was saying. Maya decided to take a seat on the ground and rest her head up against the crate Al was in. The bench was already pretty full with the Major there, and Ed was… well he didn't take up that much space so could fit. Maya smiled a little at this thought, but inside she felt numb.

"Hell yeah… I really, really wanted it!" replied Ed. "But then I remembered the people we met on the way to Mr. Marcoh's house… Even if we restored our bodies by robbing this town of its life support, it'd just leave a nasty aftertaste. We'll look for a different way. Right?" He shifted his gaze to Al.

"Yep!" Al replied optimistically. Ed tried not to, but Maya could see the quick glance he threw her way. Was he worried? Maya pondered the situation. _He's right to be worried_, she supposed. Figuring out what had happened to her, inside of the gate and in the rest of her memory gaps, was becoming even more important.

* * *

They stood, preparing to board the train.

"Hey!" they heard a call from the entrance to the platform and saw Marcoh approaching, breathless from running.

"Mr. Marcoh…"

"…..This is the place where the research files are hidden. Look at this if you won't regret knowing the truth." He said, handing an envelope to Ed. "And if it's you, you will uncover the truth behind the truth." He said meaningfully to them. Then he turned to Maya.

"And you… I wish I understood more, but I know this: these abilities of yours… may become both a blessing and a curse." A shadow crossed his face. "Be careful not to lose yourself… Ah, but, I've already said too much." He turned to leave. "I pray you _all_ will restore your bodies one day." He called back as he walked away. The major saluted while Ed and Maya bowed in gratitude.

They unfolded the note.

_The National Central Library 1__st__ Branch_

_- Tim Marcoh_

It seemed they would be off to Central. But first Maya had to repair Ed's automail, so Risembool remained their destination.

* * *

After the train pulled out of the station, Maya's breathing finally became completely normal again. The pain in her head ceased, and she finally felt calm. In fact, she was so relaxed by the sudden lack of pain, as well as exhausted from her ordeal, that she drifted off into sleep.

Her eyelids drooped heavily as her head dropped to the side. She'd already fallen asleep when her temple came into contact with Ed's shoulder, her blonde bangs sprawling across her face.

Edward, who'd been sitting next to her minding his own business, felt her warm body press up against his arm. He glanced to the side, and nearly panicked when he accidentally brought his face only inches away from Maya's. He thanked the universe that she was already asleep, so couldn't see the deep blush spreading across his cheeks. Alphonse, however, who was now in the main compartment of the train with them (though still in a crate), eyed the scene from the seat across from them. He would have worn a mischievous and almost satisfied expression if he'd been in his human body. But his older brother didn't even notice.

Instead, Edward was hyper-aware of each place he and the girl were touching. She felt so warm. And with her this close, he could smell the scent pleasant scent of her hair. While there was still her characteristic tinge of oil and automail, there was a different scent he now noticed. The subtle and almost-floral scent of a girl rather than a mechanic.

* * *

_A dark room… but familiar. In fact, Amaya had just been in that very room. It was Dr. Marcoh's house. A sliver of light shone as the front door opened and the doctor returned home._

_"I've been waiting for you, Marcoh." Maya recognized that cruel and seductive voice. It all came rushing back to her! That figure in town. It had to have been… _

_No. That had just been a dream, right? And so was this. Just another nightmare..._

* * *

**Maya: there is no way in hell I'd ever use the last name Black, in case you readers are wondering why I'm still called Rockbell. It's because that ******* is NOT my father.**

**Me: *sigh* ok, ok… but yeah, Maya kept her mother's last name even though theoretically her legal name would be Amaya Black.**

**Maya: *glares* no. it's. not.**

**Me: Oh come on Maya, you have a really cool name. Think about it!**

**Maya: Nope!**

**Me: Do you even know what your name means?**

**Maya: …Nope!**

**Me: Well, 'Amaya' means 'night rain.' So 'Amaya Black', or 'Black Amaya' with the last name would be said first, means 'black night rain.' And then Ash isn't just 'Rockbell Ash,' she's 'Black Ash.'**

**Maya: … I still won't use it. You're just trying to show off the details of my story, so shut up.**

**Me: anywho, thank you all so so much for reading and reviewing, yada yada (but seriously though, you guys are amazing thank you!) **

**Specifically ****misguidedghost77, indescribable-music, and twinkle-death-alchemist. Your reviews make me so very happy and let me know that I should actually keep writing! ^^**

**Also… I've decided to not give previews for next chapters anymore because I keep changing the order I tell things and stuff. Er, well, I'll still give you some, but don't take them too too seriously. It's taking longer to get to the action again, but soon, I promise! **

**And by popular demand, I will be including a bit of fluff in the next chapter (as you kind of saw the beginning of on the train in this chapter.) But the chapter after that will make up for it with actual action, I promise!**


	9. Welcome Home

_"Be careful not to lose yourself."_

Amaya opened her blue eyes slowly, still half asleep. She distantly heard the rumble of the train. But rather than an uncomfortable wooden seat, she was slumped against something soft and warm… something that smelled pleasant… she felt the thumping of a heartbeat and the rise and fall of steady breaths… Her eyelids shot wide open, but the rest of her body remained frozen in place. She slowly looked upward.

Edward's golden bangs messily fell across his face, which was an only inch from hers as his head drooped forward. His eyes were closed, and he wore a peaceful, unguarded expression. Maya couldn't help but stare up at him, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks. He really was handsome like this… _What?! Stop it! Stop thinking about such weird stuff!_

While at first he'd become nervous and awkward with her leaning against him, Edward soon calmed down and began to enjoy her warmth. He felt strangely safe and content with her by his side, and it was rare for him to feel so secure. Eventually he became too comfortable and also drifted off to sleep. For once, he didn't worry about having nightmares.

Now Maya didn't know what to do. The most important question on her mind was, who had fallen asleep first?! Had Ed noticed her against him? What had she done while asleep? Though Maya was honestly quite content where she was, she couldn't bear the thought of Edward finding her like this when he awoke. She slowly sat up, careful not to disturb him. As she did so however, she noticed something. He… he was… her cheeks began to burn up even more. Edward, in his sleep, was grasping onto her hand. And she couldn't remove it, not without waking him up.

Maya heard a chuckle. Al sat across from the two of them, obviously watching the scene unfold. By now Maya's cheeks were on fire, and her expression was the most embarrassed Al had seen it. Still unable to free herself, she sat stiffly next to Edward, super aware of the warmth of his hand over hers… and of how smug Al seemed about the situation.

She couldn't stop blushing. As the train sped toward Risembool, Maya had a realization… Al had no doubt known for a long time, but for the teenage girl this was new. Her mind had always been filled with gears and transmutation circles, along with agonizing memories, not with boys.

But she cared about Ed… a lot.

_'Love' was your undoing._

* * *

Den's barking could be heard as they approached the house. Maya had missed him, though it hadn't even been that long. Pinako stood outside of the house, smiling as she saw them.

After being introduced to Major Armstrong, Pinako turned to Ed, whom she hadn't seen in years.

"…in the time you've been gone, you've gotten smaller." Maya tried to hold back her giggle, especially since when Ed stood next to the Major it really did seem that way. She went over to pat Den, who was saying hello to Al, anticipating the imminent…

"WHO DID YOU SAY WAS SMALL, MINI HAG!?"

"OH YEAH, ULTRA SQUIRT?!"

"MIDGET HAG!"

Den began to whine. Maya's sensitive ears were also pained.

"MICRO SQUIRT!"

"FLEA-SIZED HAG!"

_That's it! _In a silent few steps, Maya walked up behind Ed and kicked his legs out from under him in a fluid motion. He practically did a flip in the air and landed on his back, momentarily having the wind knocked out of him. But it wasn't long before…

"MAYA, YOU IDIOT! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?"

The girl just laughed. "Welcome home!"

His expression softened. "Yeah..." he said genuinely, the shadow of a content blush on his face.

"We're home!" repeated Al happily.

* * *

"Right, it's not just the arm. Your leg's going to need some adjusting." Maya smiled slyly at Ed as she examined his automail. "I guess you _have _grown a _little_. The last time you were only –"

"I GET IT!" Ed shouted.

"The leg's fine because we still have the base," Pinako commented, ignoring Ed's outburst and tapping on the automail limb with her pipe. "But Maya'll have to start from scratch with the arm."

"Huh? So that would take around a week," Ed inferred.

"Don't underestimate my granddaughter," Pinako replied with a grin. With that, she walked out of the room to go check on her other guests, leaving the two alone.

Maya was deep in thought. With the time she saved from incorporating alchemy, she could assemble the arm much quicker. But manual labor was still necessary to make the arm flexible enough and to engineer all of the nerves properly. Her alchemy sped things up but was primarily for strengthening the automail. "Two days!" she stated confidently.

As Ed was fitted with a temporary leg, Maya's thoughts whirled and her mechanical side took over. "After carving, there's assembling, adjusting, connecting and finishing… Not to mention alchemic welding and reinforcement. Hm, this is going to take all night," she assessed.

"Sorry for asking you to do so much," said Ed with sincerity. Maya smiled at him, her eyes enthusiastic but gentle.

"We've gotta get to Central as soon as possible, right? I'll take care of you with all my strength!"

Ed was stunned. While Maya was easily excited about alchemy and automail, he'd never heard her so determined when talking about helping him. She usually complained half-heartedly, nagged him about taking better care of his automail, and discussed his extra fees. She was more animated than she'd been in a while. And… he couldn't help but blush slightly at her words. Perhaps having someone to 'take care of him' wasn't so bad…

"But in exchange, you'll pay for all my food with on our trip, right?!" Maya added, shoving him playfully… and, unfortunately, toppling him over. Ed glared up at her from the ground, his previous thoughts cut short.

"Oops…" she said sheepishly. "Right, you weren't used to that leg yet…"

He was pissed. "Like Hell I'm paying for you! You practically eat more than I do, and _that's_ saying something! What kind of girl _are_ you?!" Maya's cheeks became warm. It wasn't her fault she was always hungry! She _did_ usually eat almost enough for two, but Ed wasn't one to criticize.

"Well if _you_ get to eat that much then why don't I?! Unlike you, _I_ am actually growing!" That wasn't even true, since she'd been the same height for a while, but her insult did the trick.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! ARE YOU CALLIN ME SHORT IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE! EVEN IF YOU ARE A GIRL I'LL—" Edward's rant was suddenly interrupted. As he stood up, prepared for a fist-fight with Maya, he made the mistake of stepping forward on his unsteady replacement-leg. He toppled forward, right towards her.

Maya was caught completely off-guard, not expecting him to suddenly lunge at her, and couldn't even dodge. Ed rammed into her, and the next thing she knew, she'd been pinned to the floor beneath him.

Maya just lay there frozen. Every place her body touched his was on fire, and her chest felt strange and tight. It wasn't like her discomfort on the train ride… but she was definitely having trouble breathing properly. As his weight pressed down on her, she couldn't help but feel how warm he was, as well as how interesting his heartbeat and breathing felt against her chest. And his body was so firm and muscular… but still somehow soft and comfortable. Her blush just deepened with her rambling thoughts.

Edward groaned and raised himself with his one arm, looking up with a dazed expression. Her wide blue eyes met his golden ones, their faces only inches apart. Then he noticed the position they were in. With a gasp, he quickly pushed himself back so that he was no longer on top of her.

Maya slowly sat up, unable to collect herself. She felt her body burning up, and couldn't find her voice. Ed was having a similar problem, and sat across from her in silence, quietly breathing shallow but quick breaths, his heart racing and cheeks a dark shade of pink.

Maya was able to speak first, though her tone was significantly higher pitch than usual. "Well then!" she squeaked as she swiftly got to her feet. "I'd better get to work." With that, she breezed out of the room, leaving Edward to ponder what had just occurred and why his heart was still beating so fast.

* * *

Maya did begin working right away, perhaps to distract herself. She didn't sleep well lately anyway, so a couple of all-nighters would be fine. It was nice to be home, but she couldn't avoid revisiting the memories of this town for long. It was good they were in a hurry.

* * *

"Ready?" asked Pinako. "One." Ed braced himself.

"Two." Maya said. She was at his arm, her grandmother at his leg.

"Three." They said while simultaneously connecting both of the automail to Ed's nervous system. Ed winced. Maya hated putting him through this part, but it was unavoidable.

"I always hate the moment when the nerves get connected…" he groaned.

"Don't whine. Try moving your arm," Maya said.

* * *

Before Maya knew it, Ed had run away to find Al. She didn't even get the chance to warn him about the changes she'd made to his automail. She sighed. The nights without sleep were getting to her. Nevertheless, she walked after him, wanting to see Al whole again. Well, as whole as he could be in that body.

A grin spread across her face when she reached them. The brothers were already sparring. Even in Maya's sleep-deprived state, she wasn't going to pass this up.

"Starting without me?!" she shouted as she jumped into the fray. Ed's speed was fast as usual, and Al was surprisingly quick too despite his size. Maya's speed was at on par with Ed, despite the fact that she was quite a bit… taller. They dodged and weaved around each other's punches and kicks. _Al always wins except for when Ed and I team up, but where was the fun in cheating?_ The added challenge for Maya was that she had no metal to use, so had to stay on her toes. But that was just how she liked it. Sparring reminded her of simpler times, back when their battles were for fun rather than just to survive.

"Huh?" Major Armstrong watched the three teens. "What? Why are you fighting?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm just combining a performance check for the new limbs with some sparring," Ed replied.

"And because I wasn't able to move my body for a while, I have to restore its sense of feeling," added Al.

"Ha, and I've been cooped up in the house for forty-eight hours, it's about time I got to kick some butt." Maya said grinning as she dodged underneath Al and tripped him from behind, making him topple into Ed.

"Hoho…" laughed the Major. "Then I shall also help!" He declared, ripping off his shirt. _Shit!_ The three of them took off running, but Ed couldn't escape fast enough since he'd been pinned down beneath Al…

They were all starving by the time they'd finished. Ed, Maya and the Major practically ate Granny Pinako out of house and home. The two teens had huge appetites, but somehow always managed to stay thin. And the Major… well he ate as much as one would expect…

* * *

"Aw, he fell asleep with his stomach exposed again. Oh well." Al sighed. Ed was passed out on the couch.

"You act just like his guardian, Al," said Granny Pinako fondly. Maya smiled and went over to the cabinet to get a blanket.

Al sighed. "It's a pain having such a high-maintenance brother."

Maya giggled. "It's sometimes hard to tell which one of you is the older one," she said while covering Ed.

"How old are you two now?" asked Granny.

"I'm 14, brother's 15," replied Al.

Maya chuckled. "It's funny that this 'human weapon,' despite being a pipsqueak, is the same age as me. And he's sleeping like a baby." Maya sat down on the end of the couch that Ed head didn't quite reach, smiling gently as she looked down at the sleeping boy's face. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him wear that peaceful expression.

The memory of a few days ago came rushing back to her, as did her blush. She was glad no one was looking, and she tried to hide her cheeks by letting her blond hair fall into her face.

She didn't notice, but Al was looking in her direction all the while, observing like he had on the train. Were he in a human body, he'd have been smiling mischievously as his suspicions were confirmed.

* * *

Maya stepped into the dining room and overheard the Major talking with her granny in the kitchen.

"… speaking of which, what about Amaya's parents?" he asked.

"Her mother, my daughter, died during the Ishvalan Civil War. She was a surgeon and went off to the front lines because there weren't enough doctors. And then she got caught up in the violence."

"It was a horrible war," said the Major, looking down.

"Yeah, a horrible war," echoed Pinako. "But people who lost their arms and legs during the war need us prosthetic outfitters. It's ironic. We lost our families in the war but were able to eat because of it."

The Major was silent for a minute. "And what of Amaya's father… and the other little girl I see in your pictures? Is that her sister?" Maya froze, uncontrollable anger bubbling up within her. There was a long silence.

"Yes. That girl was Amaya's little sister, Ashley. She and Amaya disappeared several days after Ed and Al lost their bodies… to this day we don't know what became of Ash. And… that man died the same night Amaya was found." The conversation was obviously over by Granny's tone. The Major knew he'd stepped into some unwanted territory.

* * *

Maya walked down the dirt path, enjoying the dusk's cool breeze and colorful sky. After all she'd heard, the fresh air was necessary. Besides, she had to visit their favorite place. She and her sister used to pick flowers together in that meadow.

She arrived and inhaled the scent of the countryside. Maya immediately located each of their favorites: white and red chrysanthemum. Long ago she'd read what these flowers symbolized. Ash's white was _Truth_ and Maya's red was _Love_.

Little did Maya know how significance those flowers would become. She already recognized part of the irony of "Truth," after some memories of the gate returned. But she couldn't yet see… That _was_ Ash's flower, after all.

And Maya simply thought that "Love" was symbolic due to her quest to protect those important to her. She never could have imagined that "Love" could become a dark symbol.

_Who'd have thought that "Love" could be a sin._

* * *

**Hi everyone! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it! Once again, thank you so much for reading. I'm sorry if I'm taking too long to get chapters out. -.- My other fic has been getting more attention, so I've kind of been splitting my time. But never fear, I won't give up on this one…. Maya wouldn't let me. .**

**Please feel free to give me feedback about things you want me to include or what you liked (or disliked ._.). And guess what?! ACTION! HOMUNCULI! The Fifth Laboratory.**


	10. Marcoh's Recipe

"Thanks for taking care of us, Granny," Maya heard Ed call from outside. Her eyes flew open and she jumped out of bed. _Crap! It's morning already?! _Luckily her suitcase had already been packed the night before. After throwing some clothes on, she raced down the steps, flying past the disorganized workbench she hadn't cleaned after working on Ed's arm.

"Yeah, we'll drop by for dinner sometime," Al called to Granny.

"Who'd travel this far into the mountains just to eat…" Ed complained. The Major laughed. "What?" asked Ed.

"To have a family to welcome you… It must be wonderful, having a place to return to."

"HEY! ED! AL! DON'T THINK I'LL LET YOU LEAVE WITHOUT ME JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE PLANNING ON GETTING INTO TROUBLE!" Maya burst out the front door and ran until she caught up with them, her blond hair bouncing messily. "Who do you think is going to watch out for you two if I'm not around?!" _The were gonna leave me behind since this might get dangerous, weren't they?!_

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Ed.

"We didn't want to wake you after all of your hard work, and figured you could use a break and catch up with us later," explained Al. That wasn't entirely true though. His older brother had made a decision the day before. The road was sure to be dangerous, and Maya could easily get dragged into battles like she had with Scar. _"If she doesn't wake up in time to come with us, then it's just better off she stays here,"_ he'd announced to Al and the Major. As they walked together down the path, however, Ed felt a bit of weight lift from his chest. Though selfish, he felt relieved that Maya was still by his side.

* * *

As soon as they were on the train, Amaya's recent lack of sleep manifested itself. She was dreaming before they'd even reached the first stop on their way to Central.

**_Fire. Flames shot up from the floor and up the shelves. Books were everywhere, serving as fuel for the inferno. Maya heard a familiar, cruel chuckle._**

* * *

The train pulled to a stop at Central Station. Ed, of course, was the first person out the door. Maya trailed behind, her spirits dwindling. As soon as they'd arrived, the uneasy feeling in her chest had returned. She already didn't like Central.

The group was greeted by two of Major Armstrong's officers. One was a woman with short black hair and a small mole above her lip, and the other was a man with blond hair and young eyes.

"Good work, Second Lieutenant Ross, Sergeant Brosh."

"Oh! Are you the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Brosh asked enthusiastically… addressing Al.

"I'm Maria Ross! It's an honor to meet you!" "I'm Denny Brosh! Your outfit matches your name! How impressive!" They praised… crowding around the younger brother. Maya glanced at Ed, watching expectantly as his anger boiled over. Al, accustomed to this pattern, pointed to Ed and explained.

"Huh?"

"The small guy?" That pushed Ed over the edge, and the Major had to hold him back.

"W…We are so very sorry!" apologized Ross.

"I didn't mean small, um… er…"

Maya giggled. "You might wanna just stop talking for now. He'll calm down soon enough," she said with a friendly smile.

"Anyhow, I shall go report to Central Headquarters," stated Major Armstrong.

"Oh? What was that? Is this where we part? Good job. I'm so sad! Byebye!" said Ed, obviously happy to be free.

"I AM SAD AS WELL!" declared Armstrong, hugging the life out of Ed. "IT WAS TRULY A FUN JOURNEY! MAY WE MEET EACH OTHER ONCE AGAIN!" He then turned to Ross and Brosh. "Take care of the rest!"

"Yes, sir!" they saluted.

"What? I still have to have escorts?" complained Ed.

"Of course!" replied the Major.

* * *

"According the East HQ's report, Scar has yet to be apprehended, and until the situation settles down, we shall act as your escorts." Brosh explained as they drove to the library. Luckily, the car was big enough for Ed and Al to sit on one side while Brosh, Ross and Maya sat across from them.

"I guess we can't do anything about that," sighed Ed.

"Seriously, Ed. You have no manners!" Maya scolded.

"Yeah, Brother. You're supposed to say 'thank you.'"

"Broth…? This armored man is your younger brother?" Ross asked in surprise.

"Yep!" replied Al.

"But why are you wearing that suit of armor….?" asked Brosh. _Crap!_ Ed and Al looked at each other with wide eyes.

"It's a hobby!" They said simultaneously, and immediately began fidgeting awkwardly.

Brosh and Ross turned to each other and started whispering… Maya, being right next to them and possessing super-sensitive ears, heard:

_"A hobby!? Why is that a hobby, Second Lieutenant!?" _

_"I don't know! Who are these kids!? The girl seems to be the only normal one…" Oh, that perspective will change soon enough!_ she thought, sighing quietly.

* * *

The three young alchemists stood frozen with shock in front of the charred ruins that had only days ago been a library.

"All the books inside were burned in a mysterious fire." Ross explained.

"A mysterious fire?!" Maya asked in disbelief, staring at the blackened rubble.

"Yeah," replied Brosh. "No one can figure out how it started."

Maya scowled. _A fire… that dream… It seems way too coincidental. I mean, I saw books getting burned… I think…_

* * *

"Wait! Sheska might know something about your files!" the librarian at the main branch exclaimed. And so they were off to this bookworm's house.

* * *

Maya knocked on the door, but no one answered.

"The lights are on, so I think she's here," said Ed. "Excuse us…" he said quietly as he opened the door.

"Hey but we can't just-" Maya stopped short when she saw the inside of the house.

"What the hell are these!?" exclaimed Ed, staring at the endless piles of books that reached the ceiling.

"Does someone really live here?" questioned Brosh.

"Hello! Ms. Sheska! Are you here?" They called out, wading through the books.

_"Is someone there? Help me?"_ Maya heard the muffled cry and ran over to a large stack of books.

"Hey, guys! Over here!"

* * *

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" a young woman in glasses was pleading. "I wasn't paying attention when a pile of books came tumbling down. I thought I was going to die! Thank you…!"

"You're… welcome." This person was Sheska.

Cutting short her endless apologies, Maya changed the subject. "Uh… There's something we want to ask you."

"Do you know anything about the research files written by Tim Marcoh?" continued Ed. Sheska thought for a second, mumbling Marcoh's name a few times as if to jog her memory.

"Oh! Yes, I remember!" she said enthusiastically. "Those were memorable since they were handwritten among the printed books, and were shoved into a bookshelf out of their genre."

"…So they really were at the branch…" remarked Ed. _…which means they were completely burned up…_They hung their heads in defeat.

"Ex…Excuse me… Did you want to read those research documents?" asked Sheska.

"Yes, but now there's no way we can now," said Ed in a gloomy voice.

"I remember all of what was written though." Everyone froze.

"HUH?" they said in unison.

"…because… I remember everything written in a book after reading it once… word for word without a single mistake. It will take some time, but shall I make a copy?"

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Maya yelled, practically giving her a hug.

"THANK YOU, MS. BOOKWORM!" said Ed, shaking her hand furiously.

* * *

Five days later, Seska presented them with several huge stacks of papers.

…

"This really is what Mr. Marcoh wrote, word for word without a mistake, right?" Ed asked Sheska, a gleam in his eye as they paged through what looked like a compilation of cooking recipes.

"Yes! I'm positive!" said the ex-librarian. Maya's pleased grin mirrored Ed's.

"You're incredible! Thanks," he said. Al had already gathered a huge stack to carry with them.

"Okay! Let's take this back to the central library!" Maya said, picking up another of the stacks. All three were thinking the same thing.

"…and for helping us… Second Lieutenant Ross! Here's my registration code, signature, and pocket watch as proof of my identity," said Ed, handing her the watch and a slip of paper. "Go to the National Alchemist Division, withdraw this amount of money from my annual research funds, and give it to Seska."

"Yes, Sir…"

"Sheska, thanks a lot! Bye!"

Maya giggled as she overheard a scream behind them: "Why are there so many zeros!?" "What kind of kid can pull out that much money!?"

* * *

Of course Marcoh would code his alchemic research documents, Ed explained to Brosh. "To an ordinary person it looks like culinary recipes… But it's actually highly advanced files on alchemy with many hidden meanings and metaphors that only the one who wrote would understand!"

"Only the one who wrote it… Then how are you going to decode it?"

"By using a little knowledge and a lot of patience." Maya announced.

"All right! Let's decode this and take a look at the truth!" shouted Ed.

~ A week later ~

Hardly any progress in all that time.

"Maybe… we should just ask Mr. Marcoh…" suggested Al.

"No way! He'd just say 'you don't have the right to learn the truth of the philosopher's stone if you cannot solve something as simple as this.'" Ed exclaimed. "We'll solve this by ourselves no matter what!" He refused to admit defeat.

* * *

"NO FUCKING WAY!" screamed Ed, banging his hands on the table where he'd been working.

"WHA-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Maya shouted, standing now and backing away from the documents.

Al put his hand to his face… but as usual he remained calmer than the other two.

Brosh and Ross came barging in. "What happened!? Were you three fighting? Please calm dow-…"

"No, it's not that," interrupted Al.

"Are you angry that you haven't broken the code…?" _If only…_ Maya scowled at the papers in disgust and anger, her mind racing.

"We broke it," said Al. "The code…has been broken."

"Oh, really!? Isn't that good news!?" said Brosh.

"THERE IS NOTHING GOOD ABOUT IT! GOD DAMMIT!" screamed Ed as sunk to the ground in a sitting position.

"Why?! Why would anyone even think… and how could the military… GAH!" Maya fell to her knees, feeling like she was about to throw up. It didn't help that she'd already been nauseous since arriving at Central.

"'The devil's research' is what he called it. You're despicable, Marcoh," hissed Ed.

"… Just what did you find out…?" asked Brosh, coming over to Ed.

"The raw materials needed for the philosopher's stone… ARE LIVING HUMANS!"

"Marcoh was right. Of course we regret learning about this." Maya said in a broken voice.

"And it will take multiple sacrifices to manufacture just one stone…!" Ed continued his rant.

"I… I can't believe that something so inhumane was done by an organization under the military…" exclaimed Brosh.

"This is unforgivable!" echoed Ross.

Maya looked up at the two of them with alarm, concerned by what she was hearing._ Should we really be telling them all this? I mean, Marcoh is in hiding because of this research._

"Second Lieutenant Ross, Sergeant Brosh…Can you please not tell anyone about this?" says Ed quietly but firmly.

"BUT…" Brosh begins to protest.

"Please, for your own good…" Maya pleaded, her voice urgent but barely keeping steady.

_How will we ever get their bodies back to normal without using a stone? And… if I don't have a stone as payment then 'the universe' will never give me information about what happened that night. Ash…_

Maya had no idea that this knowledge of philosopher's stones and human sacrifices would soon become even more horrible.

* * *

_A presence stirs from underground,_

_careful not to make a sound,_

_it eagerly waits - the soul has been found._

* * *

Maya sat in the silence of Ed and Al's room, not trusting them or herself alone. Ed was lying on the couch while Al sat propped on the back of it and Maya slumped on the side near Ed's head.

"Brother, Maya, go eat breakfast." Said Al, like he had for the past few mornings.

"I don't want anything." Said Ed.

"Same…"

…

"I'm tired of this," Ed broke the silence.

"Yeah..." Al agreed.

"It's like… just when I start thinking it's within my reach, it runs away from me. It keeps going on like that. And this time, when I feel like I finally got a hold on it, I'm knocked down by what I caught." As Ed said this he reached up and pretended to grab at something.

"And it seems like each time we try, despite how much we've learned from the previous attempts, it's always more difficult. There are always more obstacles to overcome. More seemingly-impossible questions that need to be answered before progress can be made." Maya added.

Ed laughed bitterly. "Looks like God really hates those who break his rules… Are we… Going to live the rest of our lives like this?" All three were silent.

"Hey, Al. There's something I always wanted to tell you, but… it was something I was too scared to say…" Maya glanced up in Ed's direction. _Ed…? _

"What is it?" Al asked.

Suddenly, before Ed could answer, a commotion erupted from outside.

"ELRIC BROTHERS! MS. AMAYA! ARE YOU INSIDE!? IT IS I! CAN YOU OPEN THE DOOR!?" They heard the familiar booming voice and groaned.

"What should we do?" whispered Al.

"Ignore him, ignore him! The door's locked and he'll think we're not in!" replied Ed.

"You wish!" Maya said, hearing the door begin to crack. The Major burst into the room, with only the knob and a few splintered pieces in hand, announcing:

"I HAVE COME, EDWARD ELRIC! What a tragedy! To think that the Philosopher's Stone would hide that horrible a secret! It is a grave situation if this Hell-like research was committed by an organization under the military! I cannot do nothing and allow this to pass!" After they'd finished flinching away from the Major, both Ed and Maya shot a glare at Ross and Brosh.

"I'm s-s-s-sorry…" said Ross.

"When a guy like him got that close, we had to talk…" continued Brosh. Maya sighed and rolled her eyes. "Huh?" said Brosh, looking at Ed. "Oh, your right arm is artificial?"

"Oh, er… during the East Area Civil War, there was a little…" said Ed awkwardly.

"Yes, yes, and we needed the Philosopher's Stone to restore his body," finished Al. Maya didn't enjoy lying, nor was she particularly good at it, so she just kept quiet. Keeping quiet… not _telling_ the truth… that was something she could do.

"Oh, I see… It's to bad it had to turn out this way." Brosh said looking concerned. "Sometimes the truth can be cruel."

Maya froze, her eyes widening as she gasped quietly.

"The truth…" said Ed. Maya grinned excitedly and turned to him, for the first time in days feeling hopeful.

"Yes!"

"What's wrong, brother? Maya?" asked Al.

"Do you remember what Mr. Marcoh said?" Ed asked Al.

"Huh?"

"Come on, what he said at the station."

Al thought for a second. "… the truth behind the truth…!"

"Exactly…! There has to me something more, he told us that himself!" Maya exclaimed, thinking of the possibilities.

"Yeah… there's still something else… something…" Ed said deep in thought.

_… The Truth…_ Maya's excited thoughts were filled with a blurry white memory. What would it take to regain what she'd lost?

* * *

**To my amazing readers,**

**I cannot apologize enough for how long it has taken me to update this story. I've had a lot on my plate with college and midterms, but that's no excuse. The truth is, I've been putting my other fic first since it has a larger fanbase and a story I've gotten really excited about. I will keep updating this story though, I promise, especially if anyone is still interested in reading. I will try to keep it weekly from now on, and this week might even get the next chapter out early in payment for how late I was with this chapter. **

**Also, sorry that this chapter wasn't as exciting as others.**

**Maya: you mean boring.**

**Night Rain: I mean... well yeah... idk maybe, but I didn't want to just delete this one. BUT DON'T QUIT ON ME YET!**

**Maya: YEAH! The next chapter, as you may have guessed, is at the Laboratory and we get to meet Env-**

**Night Rain: MAYA! SHHHH! But thank you all so so much for reading and, to those of you who reviewed, favorited or followed, I love you forever! and if you are interested in my other ****fic, go check it out! it takes a while to get started, but the plot is quite interesting after the first few chapters of fluff! :D**

**Until next time,**

**~ Night Rain**


	11. Left Behind

"There are four alchemic research institutes in Central that work for the military," Major Armstrong explained, spreading a map across the table for everyone to see.

"Yeah…" Ed said, "I passed through all of them after I got my State Certification. It didn't look like they were doing very important research though…"

Thensomething on the map caught their eye. Maya pointed at an unmarked building that looked similar to the other institutes. "What's this one?"

"Yeah, it looks like another research institute," Ed added. He'd seen it right before Maya.

Ross answered, "That building used to be the Fifth Research Institute, but now it's deserted. Due to danger of collapsing, entrance is prohibited." Maya narrowed her eyes.

"It's this one," Ed said firmly.

"Huh? How'd you come to that conclusion?" asked Brosh. _Oh, and how nice, a prison…_

"There's a prison next to it." _Damn it, I'm always a step behind him!_ Maya thought with frustration, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

"Uh…" Brosh still didn't understand.

"To make the Philosopher's Stone," Maya explained in a bleak tone, "they need to use living humans as raw materials…"

"Which means they need a place to get a supply of said raw materials," finished Ed.

"The inmates…?" Ross shakily confirmed, directing a look of disgust at Ed and Maya.

"Don't give me that look. Just explaining it is making me sick," Ed said defensively.

"Yeah… We don't like the idea any more than you do," Maya frowned.

Brosh put his hand to his chin, thinking. "Considering the prison, I wonder if this means the government is involved in this…"

"We don't know whether the ones involved are at warden level or government level," Al pointed out.

"Somehow I feel like we poked our necks into something big," Ross said quietly, a look of dread on her face.

Maya sighed. She was worried about that too… Ross and Brosh didn't seem ready for the trouble that followed the three companions around.

"That's why we told you to act like you didn't hear anything," Al sighed.

"However, that is ultimately speculation at present," stated the Major. "The nation may have no connection to this. The research organization may have acted independently."

"Yeah…" Ed responded skeptically.

"Who's in charge of this research organization?" Al asked.

"That would be the 'Iron-Blooded Alchemist,' Brigadier General Basque Gran," Armstrong replied.

"Then we'll try talking to Brigadier General Gran and—" Ed began.

"You cannot," the Major interrupted. "He was murdered by Scar but a few days ago. And should there be anyone of high rank in the military other than Brigadier General Gran involved in this research, then it is inevitable that this will become complicated. I will pursue this matter and inform you later."

_So we're in Central, and this forbidden research institute is also in Central. The night is the perfect time to go check it out…_

"Until then, the 2nd Lieutenant and the Sergeant are to keep quiet on this matter! The Elric Brothers and Miss Amaya are to stay put!" He finished firmly.

"What!?" the three teens protested.

_Hm… but Brosh and Ross aren't the greatest guards… I bet we could get out the window…_

The Major looked back at them with suspicion. "YOU WERE THINKING OF SNEAKING INSIDE AND INVESTIGATING, WEREN'T YOU!" They all jumped in surprise. _Crap!_ "YOU WILL NOT! EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY BE A WAY TO RESTORE YOUR BODIES AT THAT PLACE, A CHILD SHOULD NOT DO SUCH DANGEROUS THINGS!"

"WE GET IT, WE GET IT!" shouted Ed.

"VERY GOOD!"

As Major Armstrong was about to turn and leave, Maya spoke. "Major…" her serious tone changed the atmosphere. "Just, please be careful. This… there's just a really bad vibe here in Central, and my instincts are usually right about these things…" she warned, thinking about how anxious she'd been since getting off the train. She knew he was a capable alchemist, but something was… off about the city. The Major paused, looking down at her worried expression.

"I am touched by your concern!" he suddenly shouted. _I should make a run for it before he strips!_ Maya thought, cringing as he approached her with his over-emotional reaction.

To her immense relief, Ed stepped in. "So we won't to anything dangerous like that," he said to placate the Major.

"We'll just wait for what you have to report," agreed Al, shaking slightly like he always did when lying.

_Ha,_ _like hell we will!_

* * *

"Like hell we will!" Ed scoffed as they ran through the dark streets. "It's our own fault that our bodies became like this, so it's our responsibility to find a way to restore them."

"Besides, I don't think it's good to get anyone from the military involved in this…" Al said.

"Yeah, I trust the Major, but he's not exactly discreet. He could get into a lot of trouble if this goes too high up in the military ranks," Maya added, making sure to stay quiet as they dashed through the deserted city.

* * *

"Hmm… A guard at an unused building…" whispered Ed.

"Suspicious, isn't it?" Maya smiled with anticipation.

"So how do we get in?" Al asked quietly.

"Make an entrance...? No…" Maya thought out loud. _The guard would see the light from the transmutation…._ As usual, Ed had a plan.

The two brothers communicated without even having to speak. Before Maya knew it, Al had boosted Ed up the wall that surrounded the laboratory. The barbed wire at the top was hardly an obstacle, and Ed used his right hand, and more carefully his gloved left hand, to unwind it and make a rope for Al.

"I don't want to admit it… but at times like this, I'm glad these aren't my natural limbs," Ed commented.

"Same," Al chuckled, easily ascending up the wall with his metal body. Then Al caught sight of Ed's troubled expression despite the darkness. Following his brother's gaze, Al turned back to Maya, who was examining the barbed wire. She couldn't climb up it without getting cut. Ed had known that when he lowered it, and Al knew it when he began his climb without helping Maya up first.

Meeting Al's gaze, Maya reached up towards him, expecting a boost. The two brothers just looked down at her.

"Don't forget about me!" Maya shouted in a whisper, half joking but getting a bit nervous. Little did she know that Ed had made Al promise to not let Maya enter the Lab if it looked too suspicious. Ed's thoughts were racing. He had a bad feeling that this little exploration would probably turn violent, but looking down at Maya's trusting gesture to Al made him feel unbelievably guilty. But… he didn't want to see Maya get hurt again.

"You stand guard," Ed finally whispered down to her.

"I'm sorry Maya…" Al said apologetically, continuing his climb.

"WHAT THE HELL?! NO WAY!" Maya exclaimed, much too loud. _Crap!_ She looked left and right to see if a guard had heard. Above, Al climbed over the wall and Ed saluted down to her before he too disappeared. _YOU IDIOT! Edward, I'm not going to forgive this! And Alphonse, even if you _were_ put up to this you're still gonna get it!_

She heard Ed land on the other side, followed by Al, who must have inched his way down so his body wouldn't clang as loudly.

_"Argh. The entrance is also sealed shut… Al, wait over here." _ Maya could hear Ed talking quietly even from over the wall.

Maya's thoughts wandered as she glared at the wall in front of her. _I've gotta get my ears looked at…_ _I guess it's been this way for a few years, though. I just haven't noticed it as much 'til now. Well and that time with Scar… It was easy to ignore when I wasn't in big cities. Gah, focus! It might be too tall to climb by myself…_

Though Maya was the tall side of average, climbing such a huge wall without a boost would be tricky, and potentially noisy. "Those idiots!" she hissed to herself.

_"Brother, are you sure…? I mean, I'm worried too, but she's pretty strong. Plus, she'll probably kill you… kill both of us once this is over…"_

_"You know it has to be this way, Al. She wasn't supposed to come along on this journey in the first place. I… I can't let her get dragged into things like this. It's _our_ responsibility." _

_Tch. Trying to carry the burden yourself, as usual. _Maya sighed, frowning. Part of her was mad that Ed and Al tried to get rid of her, but she also felt strange. She wasn't supposed to have heard their conversation, and it made her kind of embarrassed that he was actually worrying about her. But that didn't mean she was going to sit around and be useless.

_"I would've left her back at the hotel, but she would've made a scene and blown our cover." _Ed added. Maya's eyes widened with anger. _Yeah, nevermind, I'm just gonna kick his ass!_

Maya had enough of being left out back when they were children. There was a reason she'd trained so hard while Ed and Al had been away. Sure, there was her "quest" and enjoyment of sparring and alchemy. But what motivated her most was the memory of helplessness. She'd been so weak and insignificant, and refused to experience that again. Next time, she _would_ protect the people she cared about.

* * *

_ "Are you ok by yourself?"_ she heard Al's worried voice say.

Maya had examined the wall. It had a few uneven parts that could be used for traction, but none large enough for climbing. If she could build enough momentum to quickly scale it, on the other hand, she might have a chance to grab the top. But could she manage to run up a huge wall, without making noise?

_Well, it's now or never. _

Maya knew she had one shot. If she failed and fell, the guard would backed up as far as she could without being seen, and then flat out sprinted, jumping upwards a few feet from the wall and climbing with all her might using both hands and feet to push off of the uneven parts.

The wall was too high though, and she couldn't reach the top before gravity got the better of her. But somehow, right as she was about to fall back down, she shoved her hand onto a larger crack that ran up the last three feet or so of the wall. As her fingers were crushed against the stone, she let out a small whimper, but managed to get the purchase she needed to pull herself up and grab the top with one hand. Luckily, Ed had left a gap already so the barbed wire wasn't an issue. _All that tree climbing back home finally paid off,_ she thought, catching her breath.

From there it was a simple matter to swing herself over the wall and land softly.

Al didn't notice at first as he sat patiently beneath an open ventilation shaft._ So that's how Ed got into the building. _Maya ran towards Al, wondering if she was… small enough to follow Ed. A slight smile crept on her face at this thought, but was soon replaced by an angry glare as she approached.

"M-Maya?" Al stammered, obviously surprised to see her.

"We'll talk about this later!" she growled as she jumped and stepped on his shoulder to boost herself into the vent. What she had intended to be an impressive stunt, however, was ruined when she banged her head on the way in. _Dammit!_ She hissed internally._ Tiny, tiny vent. _She'd always been clumsy, except when she fought, and when it came to claustrophobic spaces she was even worse.

She proceeded, crawling in the cramped space until it branched off into a larger and smaller section. Maya glanced at the smaller vent, which seemed to lead straight to the center of the lab. Ed probably would've gone that way. She could fit in theory, but she'd be moving too slowly and if she got stuck it would all be over. She could also feel herself becoming more and more anxious in the dark, surrounded by the metal walls, and was beginning to have more trouble breathing. Being in the tiny vent only aggravated how sick she'd felt since arriving at Central.

Echoing back through the vent,Maya heard Ed talking to himself from that direction. She giggled. _"A normal-sized person wouldn't be able to get through here." _He was saying to himself. _"I'm glad my body was small en…"_ _Oh my god, did he just?!_ Well, he had paused mid-sentence… Maya could just imagine him hating himself for actually saying the word "small." Reluctantly, she turned the other way and scurried through the vent as fast as she could, but in the opposite direction it seemed. _Hurry, hurry…_ The vent branched out again, and luckily one of the large enough ones led back in the same general direction Ed had gone. Maya froze. She suddenly could hear an unfamiliar voice echoing in the air vent… from where she'd come?! _This is bad… Al…! _She couldn't discern anything that was being said from that distance, but now she really did have to hurry.

* * *

Maya finally reached the end of the vent, which left her near the center of the complex. She jumped down into a room that looked surprisingly abandoned and crumbling. _Which way?_ she wondered. Then she heard it. Metal clashing with metal. It echoed through the vent but also from within the building. _What? Fighting already Ed?! _She took off in the direction of the noise. _Geez, it's really fast-pace! Ed might have his hands full with this one… _

The fighting had paused for the moment, and the voices were getting louder as she approached. Much to her frustration, she couldn't seem to find a path leading in the proper direction, and ended up in a closed room right next to the one where Ed and his opponent seemed to be.

_"It's been a while since I've had such worthy and energetic prey. But with your wounds and fatigue, the end of this battle is near."_ A man's unfamiliar voice boomed.

Maya's blue eyes widened. _Wounds?!_ She peered through a little crack in the wall she found, which must have been how she'd heard everything… other than her ears being weird. The fighting had not yet resumed, so she decided to examine the situation before barging in by transmuting her own entrance. She could see a large man in armor facing Edward, armed with a sword. Maya didn't have any metal limbs to compensate like Ed did, so decided to carefully transmute her own katana in preparation. She also enjoyed the poise of a sword, but that was beside the point.

"My companion outside has probably finished off your friend by now. He can't come and save you," the man's voice boomed.

"…is that companion of yours strong?" Ed didn't look so good. He was breathing heavily and had some blood dripping off his left arm and shoulder.

"Indeed he is," replied his opponent. "Though weaker than me."

Upon hearing this, Ed let out a laugh. "Then I don't have to be worried. I've been fighting him for a long time now, and never once have beaten him!" Ed announced, standing back up confidently. Maya grinned, her nose pressed up against the stone. She'd gotten a pretty good feel for the dimensions of the room, though could only see what was straight ahead. Perhaps it was time to join the fray…? Or should she keep the element of surprise in case more guards arrived?

"Even if he does arrive here, he would waste a great deal of time."

"…And your point is?" Ed paused and suddenly looked right over to the wall Maya was hiding behind. For a second she actually thought he'd seen her somehow, but then he shouted "AL! DO IT NOW!" Maya obviously knew Al wasn't there, but the armored man fell for it and turned quickly.

"When did he—?!" Before the man could finish, Ed charged. With a loud clang, the man's helmet… _head_ went flying of?! _Wait? He's a soul bound to armor!?_ The empty body armor clanked to the floor.

"How cowardly…"

"There's no such thing as being cowardly in a fight…" retorted Ed, transmuting his arm back into its original non-blade form. "Time to move on."

"Well? You haven't destroyed my blood seal yet. Hurry up and destroy—" The soul gasped as Ed picked up his head.

"There's something I want to ask you." Ed said seriously.

"About the Philosopher's Stone?" Maya and Ed both froze where they were. The three of them had been correct!

"Tell me what you know," Ed ordered. Maya was listening intently and curiously, but suddenly she heard a minute sound that wasn't merely a voice.

"I can't tell you."

"Hey, Hey. The loser isn't supposed to be resisting," Ed said impatiently. The armor-bound soul just laughed. Meanwhile, Maya glanced around the room as best she could, trying to locate the sound. That noise was… moving metal?!

Everything happened at once. She spotted the hand of the supposedly-empty armor twitch

_The hand moved… Shit, it's starting to get up!_

Maya clapped her hands together. _No time for the wall, just please let this get there in time!_ She dropped to one knee and slammed her hands against the ground.

The flood of information began again.

* * *

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**Thank you all so very much for your patience. I'm not working very actively on this story, since my other one has taken off and I'm already so sluggish with my updates for that one, but I'm going to continue it! I was somewhat discouraged by one of my friends being judgmental about OCs, associating them with "Mary Sue"s, which I somewhat saw in Maya's character. -.- But thinking about it, many of the canon characters in FMA could theoretically fall under the Mary Sue category just because of the plot's supernatural tendencies, so idk it would be boring if Maya were too ordinary... If it bothers anyone, I'm open to suggestions as always!**

**Thank you for your reviews and favorites, since they have finally motivated me to publish another chapter! Oh, and of course, I thought I should say that I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of these characters (except my OCs I guess) and recognize that much of this plot follows the original plot of FMA by Hiromu Arakawa.**

**I hope you find it in your hearts to be patient! Oh, and to any of you who have watched both versions of FMA (the 2003 one and Brotherhood), I'm working on a crossover between the two that extends the story and people actually seem to like it! ;A; If you're interested, please check it out. :]**

**Thank you!**

**~ Night Rain**


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